Johto Journeys
by Luminous Fish
Summary: Kaida and Nila are two friends released into a Pokémon world filled with guidebook boy, the fashion disaster, a cheese and cookie monster, and the human bottomless pit. Special guest appearance from the weirdo in the iron -- sorry, steel -- mask.
1. Chapter 1: an ode to Cyndaquil

**A/N:**

Warnings: OCs. That's the big one. Also: references to drugs and other naughty things. Minor language. Tiny bits of crack humour.

This will be a long story. No promises for updates but quite a bit is written already. Please review. Constructive criticism but remember this is sort of a joke between friends. :)

Uuhhh... And two of us are writing. Tam and Chibi. We'll try to let you know which one is replying...

And... We disclaim?

* * *

**1. Ode to Cyndaquil. How I do adore thee!**

Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile? The choice was obvious for Kaida. She had wanted a Cyndaquil ever since she could remember. She had watched Professor Elm hand out Pokémon year after year and she knew that she _had_ to have a Cyndaquil. She would get up extra early to ensure that she was near the front of the queue and could obtain her desired Pokémon at all costs. Nila had already dashed her thoughts of camping outside the lab that night. Ah, Cyndaquil. So sweet and fiery and cute… She just couldn't wait! She paced up and down her bedroom. How could she bide the time?

Kaida glanced out of the window. It was an easy clamber down the side of the house and then she only had to jump over the garden fence before she was in her next door neighbour's garden. From there she could climb up to Nila's bedroom and keep her company. After all, Nila was also receiving her first Pokémon the next day and would doubtless be in the same nervous state as Kaida. She would be glad that Kaida visited!

With that in mind Kaida opened her window and shimmied down the building. She hopped over the low fence and climbed into her next door neighbour's shed. That required getting onto the bins and then pulling herself up onto the top of the wooden building. From there, Kaida tapped the window to let Nila know she was there so she could be let in.

There was no response.

Kaida was now cold – she was in her pyjamas after all and it was night time – and she grew bored and impatient quickly. She tapped on the window harder. There was still no reply. She hit it again. Finally, she thought she heard movement and, sure enough, Nila pushed back the curtains, yanked the window open, and stuck her head out the window. Her dark hair was sticking up like she had been badly electrocuted. Kaida stifled a laugh.

"What?" Nila asked grumpily.

"I've come to keep you company," Kaida informed her, nudging her friend out of the way and climbing through the window. "I know you must be a nervous like me so I thought we could wait together."

Kaida crossed Nila's room and flopped on her bed. She saw Nila close the window, pull back across the curtains, and then the girl turned around and folded her arms across her chest, looking quite irritable.

"Phew, I'm glad we can wait together," Kaida said. "I can't wait until tomorrow! Cyndaquil! This whole thing must be giving everyone insomnia!"

"Actually," Nila said crossly, "I was asleep."

"Ah," Kaida said.

There wasn't much to add to that.

"Well," she attempted lamely, "now you're up you may as well stay up. We can play a game. Monopoly? Keep ourselves entertained!"

Nila's eye twitched. She walked over to the bed, pushed Kaida off, then curled under the covers and put a pillow under head. Kaida got off the floor, huffing, and sat back down on the bed.

"OK, maybe not monopoly. Scrabble? We could even do Pokemon scrabble. Wait, that might be a bit difficult. We could play Pokémon hangman though. Or Pictionary. Or Charades. That would be so fun! I bet you can't guess what I'm being."

"Cyndaquil," Nila said. Her voice was muffled through the pillow.

"How did you guess?" Kaida joked, delighted. "Aah," she squealed. "I cannot wait for tomorrow. I have to have Cyndaquil. Fire and power and cuteness combined. It's gonna be great!"

"Yeah," Nila said. Her voice still sounded strange.

Kaida sighed and stared off into space. She daydreamed about her little cute Cyndaquil who would be a fierce and strong battler but sweet and shy afterwards. Most importantly, her Cyndaquil would _always_ be ready to snuggle.

"Ah Cyndaquil," Kaida said aloud. She rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Tomorrow you and I will finally meet!" Her eyes glazed over. "It is going to be so much fun. We'll be best friends forever and capture loads of cool Pokémon, especially lots of fire Pokémon… I want to catch every fire Pokémon there is and we can go on cool adventures and–"

She was cut off abruptly by a pillow whacking down on her head. She put her hands up to defend herself as Nila beat her with the pillow three more times.

"Aah!" Kaida protested. "What's your problem?!"

Nila shoved her face into Kaida's, scowling furiously. Her eyes were red and her hair in an even more of a disarray than before. Grating out every word, Nila hissed, "I. Need. Sleep."

"Eek," Kaida said.

Frankly, Nila looked terrifying.

"Go back home or be quiet," Nila snapped.

Kaida didn't want to go back home. She didn't want to be quiet either, but didn't think she had much of a choice if she valued her life. Huffing, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she counted lots of Cyndaquil then she would drift off to sleep eventually…

The plan didn't work very well. Kaida got a few hours rest, where she drifted in and out of sleep while glancing anxiously at the clock, before Nila's alarm clock _finally _went off. However, to Kaida's horror, Nila slapped it onto snooze. That meant another _ten minutes_ before Nila would get up and this was even if she got up then… What if she hit snooze again? Kaida couldn't allow that to happen. Kaida had to make a sacrifice for the greater good for her and Cyndaquil. She had to brave Nila's wrath and make her get up.

Nila was _not _a morning person.

Gathering her nerve, Kaida inched forward towards her friend and then, suddenly so she wouldn't lose her nerve, she shoved her out of the bed. Nila grunted as she fell to the ground and Kaida closed her eyes and braced herself for any explosion. There was silence. Kaida tentatively opened her eyes and peered over the bed. She couldn't believe it. Nila had simply gone back to sleep.

Kaida tried talking loudly and stomping around the room but nothing seemed to have much effect. Nila did tell her to go away but Nila was known to sleep talk. Kaida sighed and wondered what to do next. She grabbed the alarm clock and held it against Nila's ear. However, when it went off Nila's hand shot up and she grabbed it from Kaida and threw it across the room. It smashed against the wall and broke into about four pieces. Kaida gaped.

It was time for the last resort. Short of banging pots and pans – which probably would have little effect except for annoying Nila's family – there was only one other thing that Kaida could think to do. She went to bathroom and filled a jug up with icy cold water. She took it back to Nila's room and…

"ARGH!"

Nila sat up in a shot. Her soaked face swung from side to side as she looked for a culprit. Kaida had already retreated. She hid around the corner and watched Nila emerge from her room, muttering darkly as she headed for the bathroom.

"Well, you always like a shower in the morning. How was I to know you preferred the water to be hot?" Kaida muttered, looking down at the jug that she was still clutching.

Nila's head whipped around the bathroom door. Damn it, Kaida thought, she had the ears of a freaking bat. She didn't dare to speak that though, in case she angered the beast again.

A minute later and Kaida heard the shower turn on. Oh. Great. Nila was going to _shower_. Couldn't she have done that the previous night? Cyndaquil was waiting! They had to _go_.

Nila also insisted on eating breakfast but Kaida didn't let Nila finish before she dragged her out of the door. They rushed to Professor Elm's lab and, to Kaida's horror, there was a long queue trailing out the front. Her jaw dropped.

"Nila!" she yelled. "This is all your fault! If you had just got up… What if all the Cyndaquil are gone?!"

She punched Nila's arm. Hard.

"Ow," Nila said, rubbing her arm. She scowled darkly at Kaida. "It would serve you right for waking me up like that."

Kaida hit her again.

"If you had got up then I wouldn't have had to! And it seems like it was a waste of time… All the Cyndaquil are gonna be gone!"

Kaida pulled at her red hair. Cyndaquil… Her dreams were _shattered_ and it was all the fault of that _stupid_ Nila. She was supposed to be Kaida's _friend_! Now Kaida wouldn't have the cutest Pokémon to exist as a companion… She wouldn't have her first – of many – beloved fire Pokémon. Suddenly life didn't seem worth living. She sank to the ground in devastation.

"Get up," Nila said impatiently, with no sympathy at all for Kaida's plight. "You're blocking the queue."

"But… my Cyndaquil!" Kaida wailed.

"You don't even know there aren't any left," Nila pointed out. "Besides, if you don't get it now you can always catch it later…"

"But… what if this is my _only_ chance?!" Kaida cried. "My poor, poor Cyndaquil, taken by someone else who will never love you as much as I would."

Nila rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Get out of the emo corner. Pull yourself together."

She started to drag Kaida towards the door.

"I'm sure there are some left," Nila said. "So stop being stupid."

"Like you aren't exactly the same about Pokémon _you _like," Kaida complained.

It was true. Nila was completely obsessed with Umbreon. Kaida, on the other hand, was more partial to the beautiful, bushy, flame wielding Flareon. Ah, Flareon. It was so cute with its fluffiness and cuteness and sweetness and Kaida wanted it so, so much…

Kaida's fantasy land full of Flareon was interrupted by a harsh poke in the shoulder by Nila, who was once again pushing Kaida forwards.

"You really think they have some left?" Kaida asked. She fretted, "But what if they're all gone?"

She stood on tiptoes in an attempt to see over the small crowd in front of them. This didn't help much as she was so much shorter than everyone else there. She elbowed her taller friend in the side.

"Can you see anything?" she demanded.

"They're in Pokéballs," Nila replied dryly, "and I don't have x-ray vision."

Kaida muttered furiously under her breath. She _had _to have the Cyndaquil. She loved it so much. Its cute little face, its back that erupted into those gorgeous flames, its killer moves like Flamethrower… It was perfect. And, since Kaida had decided she wanted to catch all the fire Pokémon and maybe become a fire gym leader someday, there was no better place to get started.

Cyndaquil…

There were murmurs in front. Professor Elm was, for some inexplicable reason, running out of Pokémon. Kaida's breath caught in her throat. _No_, that couldn't happen. She had put her name down for one of his Pokémon and he had guaranteed that he had enough for everyone on the list. She would have to receive something. But if it wasn't Cyndaquil…?

There was nothing wrong with Chikorita and Totodile of course, but Kaida _needed_ Cyndaquil. What was more, what if there weren't even any Chikorita or Totodile left? Would she have to have something else? Would it be good? If it was a fire Pokémon then maybe she wouldn't mind but really… Cyndaquil… It wasn't asking for that much.

Also, knowing Kaida's luck, the other Pokémon would probably be a Magikarp who would just splash around uselessly all day, refusing to evolve. She could see the next ten years of her life consisting of taking Magikarp to the pond to strength it up and perhaps even become a little bit decent… Her dreams would be ruined. No fire Pokémon… No fire gym… No _Cyndaquil_!

"Kaida," Nila said, cutting through her thoughts. "Remember _breathing_ is essential."

There were only a few Pokéballs when Kaida and Nila reached the front. Kaida elbowed Nila out of the way and launched herself at the table.

"Um, hello, Kaida," Professor Elm said, blinking. "Which one would you like then…? I must warn you…"

"Cyndaquil!" Kaida erupted.

She looked desperately between the two small piles of Pokéballs. One pile had to be for Cyndaquil, didn't it? It just had to be… She looked up at Professor Elm with wide, frantic eyes.

Professor Elm scratched the back of his head. "Well," he said, "I was just about to say… I've run out of Cyndaquil…"

Kaida stared.

Her world came crashing down.

Cyndaquil?

No…

"I'm very sorry, Kaida, but someone broke into the lab last night and stole some of the Pokémon. Luckily my assistant walked in on the perpetrator before he could take any more than a few… but they were all Cyndaquil."

"But," Kaida spluttered. "But… Cyndaquil."

"I'm very sorry, but you'll have to pick one of the other Pokémon," Professor Elm said, gesturing towards the two piles. "This pile is Totodile and this pile is Chikorita."

"There are a lot less of Totodile," Nila observed. "Did you say the person only stole Cyndaquil?"

"Actually, yes," Professor Elm said. "People just don't like to pick Chikorita."

"Why?" Nila asked.

"Well, a lot of people want to take up the challenge of the Pokémon gyms and most of the gyms do not match up favourably for Chikorita. A water Pokémon tends to be a better option. A fire Pokémon would be even better but there are no Cyndaquil left…"

Nila glanced at Kaida. The smaller girl was frozen. Nila considered poking her to see whether she was still responsive to the outside world but decided against it. First things first…

"I'd like Chikorita then," she said.

Professor Elm smiled. "You aren't the first person looking for a challenge. Here you go."

He handed Nila the Pokéball. Nila turned back to Kaida and poked her in the cheek. Failing that she tickled Kaida's side. That snapped Kaida back to life with a jolt.

"Would you like another Pokémon then, Kaida?" Professor Elm said.

"But…" Kaida said. "Can't you find the person who did it? You could take the Cyndaquil back…"

"We're looking," Professor Elm said. "According to my assistant the culprit was a youngster a little older than you with a torn black cape and dark hair. They couldn't see his face because he was wearing a strange steel mask." He sighed. "But who knows if we will ever catch him? It could be almost anyone. And even if we did find him eventually, who knows how long it would take? No, I don't think there is a good chance of you being able to get your Cyndaquil now. Unless you would like to wait until next year?"

"I… I can't wait that long."

Thoughts of fire Pokémon like Growlithe, Ponyta, and Vulpix danced through Kaida's head. A year longer before she could start the adventure to find and capture them? No. She couldn't wait that long.

"So what is it going to be?" Professor Elm asked.

"I… I suppose, Totodile?" Kaida said weakly.

Totodile was water. Fire's weakness. It could help her capture fire Pokémon. She accepted the Pokémon with a dazed expression. She just… It wasn't right! It was supposed to be a joyous occasion for her. She was supposed to have obtained a Cyndaquil, which was one of her most favourite Pokémon _ever_. And now…

If she ever found the person who stole those Cyndaquil she was going to make them pay dearly. They would rue the day they ruined her dreams!

"Come on," Nila said, tugging on Kaida's arm. "We have to go. We're holding up the queue."

Kaida's head drooped as she walked out of the lab. She looked dully down at the Pokéball in her hand. Totodile. Not Cyndaquil.

"Look, it's going to be fine," Nila said. "You'll find other Cyndaquil and catch one."

"I will find Cyndaquil," Kaida said.

"Yeah, so we can look for it in the wild…"

"No," Kaida said firmly. "We're going to go and get those stolen Pokémon! That idiot can't have gone far! We can find them and I'll return the Pokémon and then Professor Elm can give me one of the Cyndaquil! It is only fair!"

Nila blinked.

"Come on," Kaida said. "Let's go! Now!"

"But… our stuff!"

"No time for that! We'll go back for it. Come on!"

Kaida seized Nila's arm and started to run. They had to find this criminal. It was her chance to get a Cyndaquil. She wouldn't let _anything _stop her.

"But… our Pokédex?"

Kaida paused. OK. They could get them. Then they had to go.

-

"I'm hungry," Nila complained. "Can we stop?!"

Kaida ignored her and continued to march towards Cherrygrove City.

"Seriously. Starving."

"You just had breakfast."

"You didn't let me finish it!" Nila objected.

Kaida whirled around. Nila took a step backwards.

"Stop moaning," Kaida said crossly. "It is your fault that I didn't get Cyndaquil! I waited for you and you were taking so long and… Urgh! All of them were gone! It's not _fair_."

"Um," Nila said, blinking. "Sorry?"

Nila wanted to protest that Kaida could have gone without her, or that it was the robber's fault just as much as hers, but she decided that would not be wise when faced with the midget death glare of doom™. Instead she took another step backwards.

"Come on," Kaida said, turning back around. "The Cyndaquil need me! We have to be quick."

Nila raised her eyebrows but followed. She was feeling uncertain about Kaida's "mission" because, after all, they were venturing out into the wild by themselves and they had never tried out their Pokémon before. Not to mention that if they _did _catch up with the criminal who had stolen the Cyndaquil it was possible he had better trained Pokémon than them – anything was likely to be better than the new Pokémon they had received.

But Kaida was not stopping for anything. She wanted her Cyndaquil and she wanted it right that instant.

Something chirped in the bushes. Nila spotted the sight of something balancing on an enormous tail. A Sentret. Then there was another one… Wait… Nila looked back. It looked like they were _dancing_. Blinking furiously, Nila slowed down and turned. She wanted to see this.

"Nila!" Kaida snapped.

On second thoughts, perhaps it was better that Nila kept up with the angry Kaida. It was better for her health.

The twirp of a Pidgey sounded. Kaida stomped loudly on and Nila followed. Kaida pushed roughly through a bush that was blocking the path and then, she was thrown backwards into Nila. They both went crashing to the ground. Kaida's elbow impacted very unpleasantly into Nila's stomach. The taller girl groaned.

A Pidgey erupted from the bush, flapping its short wings angrily. Nila and Kaida's eyes widened as they saw a gust attack forming. Kaida yelped and rolled off Nila, covering her head with her hands. Nila rolled in the other direction, avoiding the worst of the second attack.

"Kaida!" Nila yelped. "Grass against flying is bad!"

"But… it's…" Kaida protested.

She touched the Pokéball containing Totodile. She hadn't wanted to use it. Somehow it would be accepting the fact that she hadn't got the Pokémon she desired. Instead of the cute fiery Cyndaquil she would have something she really hadn't wanted at all. Still, Nila was right… She didn't have much choice.

"Go, Totodile…"

Nila rolled her eyes. "Could you _be _any more enthusiastic?"

Kaida shot Nila a dirty look. They both scrambled to their feet as Totodile exploded from the Pokéball, immediately crying out and dancing on its stumpy legs. Pidgey immediately turned its attention on the new threat, flapping its wings and creating another dust attack. Totodile was caught off guard and was thrown backwards.

"Umm…" Kaida said.

"Come on," Nila urged.

"But…" Kaida said.

She didn't want to use Totodile. They just didn't _fit_. It wasn't what she had wanted.

"Kaida," Nila said urgently.

Pidgey was gearing itself for another attack. Kaida gave into her instincts.

"Totodile, use scratch!"

Totodile flew into action with a bizarre cackle. Neither Kaida nor Nila thought they had seen anything move so fast with such enthusiasm. Pidgey didn't know what had hit it. It was brought to the ground by an over enthused water reptile.

Kaida and Nila now watched with widened eyes. Kaida turned to look at her friend, a dark cloud crossing her face.

"I wanted a cute, fire Cyndaquil…" she trailed off, her voice dark. "Instead… Instead, I get a Totodile on _crack_."

Nila tried not to laugh. She turned back to the Totodile. The Pidgey was now knocked out but the Totodile had not stopped.

"Um, Kaida…"

Kaida looked down. She huffed. An out of control Totodile on crack.

"Totodile, come back!"

Totodile let out another manic cackle that sort of reminded Kaida of a quack. It didn't seem to hear Kaida.

"Totodile!!" Kaida snapped.

Totodile pulled back and looked at Kaida, confused. Kaida huffed again loudly and returned the Pokémon to its Pokéball. She glared at Nila.

"If I don't get Cyndaquil… I will _kill _you…"

"Um, let's go then?"

They trudged on.

A while later and Kaida was on the verge of giving up. She didn't think that she could possibly catch up with the person who had stolen the Cyndaquil. She was ready to break down into furious, frustrated tears. This was supposed to be one of the happiest, most important days of her entire _life _and it had all gone wrong from the start. Was this a signal of things to come? She couldn't help but think so.

Then it all changed.

They walked across grassy fields and past small crops of woodland until eventually they found themselves next to a gently meandering river. Nila was tempted to take off her shoes and stick her feet in the river to cool them but decided that Kaida, still intent on pursuing the thief, would not be happy about any delay. She sighed and walked on to a faster, deeper part of the river. Normally the river was gentle enough but the recent heavy rain had caused it to overflow slightly and it was flowing at a much faster rate that normal. Nila wasn't sure that it would be wise to swim in it at that time, although it was normally safe enough.

"Help!"

Nila paused. She looked around but didn't locate the source of the noise.

"Kaida," she called.

"What?" Kaida snapped. She turned and glared at Nila.

"Listen."

A second later the voice sounded again.

"Help!"

The voice was coming from down the river. Nila and Kaida sped up until they found a boy, in full clothes, in the river, clinging to a tree root. His fingers were slipping millimetre by millimetre as he lost his grip. The fast current was threatening to sweep him away and under.

"Careful!" the boy called as they came closer. "I slipped near the edge."

Nila and Kaida proceeded cautiously to the edge of the river bank. There were several wet stones and a lot of sliding mud and it was very slippery. At one point Kaida stumbled but Nila grabbed her arm and steadied her so she stayed upright. Finally Nila managed to reach the edge on her hands and knees and she grabbed the boy's wrists just as his hand slipped and lost its grasp on the branch.

Kaida's heart was pounding furiously in her chest. What should she do? Her fingers curled around the Pokéball. There was nothing else for it.

"Totodile, go!" she cried, releasing the Pokémon.

Totodile burst out of the ball and commenced its strange dancing.

"Totodile," Kaida said, "you have to help us get this boy out of the river! He might drown! Either get in, or if the current is too fast, then try and pull him out.

Totodile plunged straight into the river and disappeared for a moment. Kaida's breath caught in her throat. Totodile was a young Pokémon with little experience. Had it underestimated the strength of the water and been swept into some undercurrent? Then, to her immense relief, it emerged again, kicking its short legs and arms furiously as it pushed the boy towards Nila so she could grab his other hand. Totodile pushed the boy further towards the bank and helped him scramble out. Nila and the boy fell backwards away from the river and Totodile jumped out the water and proceeded to clamber all over them.

"Good work, Totodile," Kaida praised, the words sounding strange and foreign on her tongue. "Well done." She returned it to its Pokéball.

The boy rolled over onto his front and spluttered up an impressive amount of water. Then his hand went to his waist and he sighed in relief. The Pokéball was still attached. It was OK. It was safe.

"Are you OK?" Nila asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," the boy said, "and you." He looked to Kaida. "And your amazing Pokémon of course."

Kaida gave him a strained smile.

"I'm John," the boy said.

He was a tall brown haired boy of a similar age to them.

"Nila… and this is Kaida."

"Cool," John said. "Thank you so much for rescuing me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along. I could have died!"

"It's no problem," Kaida said.

She couldn't even be elated that she had helped to save someone's life. It had been Totodile that had done the saving. Cyndaquil wouldn't have been able to help so efficiently and she felt guilty and miserable for still wishing she had a Cyndaquil instead.

"Anyway, thanks. I can't lose this Pokémon," John said. "It's not even mine. I don't have a Pokémon. Well, not yet. Hopefully I will soon though."

"What do you mean?" Nila asked.

"Well last night I was looking out of my window and I saw a strange person run by. He was a bit older than us, he had dark hair, and he _seemed_ to be wearing a cape or maybe a weird steel mask…"

Kaida was over there in a flash. She grabbed the boy by his jacket and pulled him down to her level as she demanded rapidly, "Where did you see him? Where was he going? How long ago did he leave? Tell me everything!"

"Um, I actually saw him last night. He ran through Cherrygrove by my house and he was heading towards the route to Violet City. It was weird."

Kaida let out a huff. He was too far ahead then. If he had reached there the previous night then there was no hope that they would catch up to him. Her chance of recovering the Cyndaquil was gone.

"How do you know him?" the boy asked.

"He stole some Cyndaquil from Professor Elm in New Bark," Nila replied, "and my friend Kaida was really looking forward to having a Cyndaquil. She wanted to try and catch him and get them back."

"Oh," the boy said. "Well…" He looked hesitant. "He actually dropped a Pokéball."

"_What?!_" Kaida screeched, tugging the boy's jacket again. "Seriously?! Where is it?!" She glanced down at the sole Pokéball by his waist. "Is _that _it?"

"Yeah, it is!" the boy said, trying to extract himself from Nila's grasp. "I opened it and it was a Cyndaquil. I couldn't really catch up to him but I heard Professor Elm was handing out Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile and so I thought maybe he gave the boy it and then he would know who it was and give it back."

"You have to give it to me," Kaida said desperately.

"I don't know. You have a Totodile already. That must mean you already have a starter. He gave it to you, right? If I have this one I can take it back to Professor Elm. Maybe he'll give it to me as a starter. I've been looking for a Pokémon and it is a good one to have."

Kaida's hopes were once again being crushed. A Cyndaquil was in her grasp, yet she could not have it. She needed to give up on her dream. Clearly nothing was ever going to go well. She should quit before it got worse.

"How about trading with her," Nila said suddenly.

"Huh?" the boy said.

"Yeah, I mean, look at her. She's desperate for a Cyndaquil. She's wanted one ever since she can remember. She wants to be a fire gym leader and capture all of the fire Pokémon she can."

"I don't know…"

"Look, we can go to Professor Elm if you like," Nila said. "But please, you can have the Totodile. It is a pretty fierce battler already. A little enthusiastic but, hey, that's a good thing, right?"

The boy looked like he was seriously contemplating the matter. Kaida was seriously contemplating throwing herself at his feet and swearing to do whatever he wanted in return for a trade for the Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil…

"Well, OK, as long as it is all right with Professor Elm," the boy said. "I don't mind which Pokémon I have really." He smiled. "And you did save me from drowning."

"THANK YOU!" Kaida exploded, throwing her arms around him.

The boy was almost throw off balance with a sudden weight thrown at him and his arms pinned to his side by Kaida's vice like grip. She clung to him like a limpet before Nila resorted to tugging on her hair to get her off.

"This means so much to me," Kaida gushed. "Please… Can I just… Hold…?"

The boy sighed and pulled out the Pokéball. He handed it to Kaida. She held it gently, like the most valuable treasure in the world. Then, abruptly, she yelled out and clutched the Pokéball to her chest.

_Finally_.

Nila raised an eyebrow as Kaida began to rub the Pokéball against her cheek. The boy also looked a bit concerned by Kaida's behaviour. Nila reached over and tugged Totodile's Pokéball free. She handed it to the boy.

"Come on," she said. "Let her hold it while we go back. Let's go make the trade official." She rolled her eyes at the boy. "Try to ignore the craziness."

"Um OK," the boy said, still shooting Kaida worried looks as they turned back towards New Bark.

He looked like he was worried Kaida would attack him if he turned his back for even a second. Nila tried to give him a reassuring look. She wasn't very good at it.

"Hey," Kaida said suddenly, when they were almost back in New Bark, "you should come along with us! Then we will have one of each! That would be cool!"

"It would be," Nila agreed in a whisper. "If you hadn't completely freaked him out by rubbing that Pokéball against your cheek. Idiot."

Kaida ignored her. Nothing else seemed significant now she had her Cyndaquil. Finally. Her fire baby. She bounced into Professor Elm's lab and they finalised the trade. John received his Totodile starter and Cyndaquil was Kaida's. Finally she could say those words she had dreamt about for years!

"Go, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil burst out from the Pokéball. Kaida squealed and grabbed it immediately. She squeezed it tightly. So cute, so sweet, so powerful, so fiery…

"Um…" Nila said. "Breathing is just as important to Pokémon…"

Kaida lessened her grip a bit but she was going to need at least another ten minutes of snuggling before she let go completely. Cyndaquil was hers and the Cheshire Cat could not out smile her at that moment.


	2. Chapter 2: the many uses of a frying pan

**2. The many uses of a frying pan.**

After trading Totodile and Cyndaquil it had been getting late and Nila and Kaida offered John a place to stay for the night.

"You have to watch out," Nila warned John as they walked into Kaida's front garden. "Her mother is, well, slightly crazy. And her grandmother… well don't go too close."

"Why?" John asked.

Nila opened her mouth to reply but the door swung open and a tall, slender red headed woman burst out with an enormous smile on her face. Her cheeks were rosy red and her eyes gleaming almost feverishly. Nila and Kaida both shuddered visibly.

Fear.

"You're back so soon!" the woman cried, planting an enormous kiss on both of the girls' faces. She then spotted John. "And who is this strapping young man?"

"Um, John," said John weakly, looking overwhelmed.

"We met him today," Kaida informed her exuberant mother. "He fell in a river. He needs some dry clothes and a place to stay."

The woman put a hand to her chest dramatically. "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

"Because I only just got here?" Kaida tried.

She was ignored.

"I'm Jane!" Kaida's mother cried. "Lovely to meet you."

John held out a hand. Kaida's mother pulled him into a tight hug and slobbered a kiss on his cheeks. John now looked very scared. Nila and Kaida almost felt sorry for him but didn't dare intervene. She might try to hug them instead… No, selfishly, they preferred it when her affection was directed at someone else. Even if this was only temporary, it was a small relief.

Jane finally released John. She clapped her hands together.

"I have brownies," she cried. "Who wants some?" She looked at John. "How about you then? You could do with some fattening up."

"Yes?" John tried.

Well, he wasn't going to turn down food.

"How about you two?" Jane demanded. "Brownies… They're nice and soft and chocolaty!"

Nila and Kaida exchanged a look.

"Um, sounds good," Kaida said. "I'm a bit full though. Nila and I ate _loads_. Did you make them?"

"No. Just bought them."

"Oh," Kaida said, shrugging. "Well, I suppose I do have a bit of room then."

"Me too," Nila agreed.

A bit of room turned into about five brownies a piece. They were good. When Jane left the room, and John was on what had to be his seventh brownie, he turned to them with a question.

"Why did you ask if she made them first?"

He was more perceptive than they had given him credit for.

"_Never _eat anything she has made," Kaida warned. "I have lived with her for twelve years and it is a miracle I haven't died from food poisoning. Thankfully she buys lots of unhealthy – but edible – ready meals. But when she tries to bake… It's atrocious."

"Her bread tasted like rotting feet," Nila said bluntly.

Jane walked back in the room, a bright smile on her face, and a Vulpix following her. When Vulpix saw Kaida it ran up to her and nuzzled her hand. Kaida patted its head and fed it a brownie. This had to be the reason she loved fire Pokémon so much. So cute and so fiery…

"So let me see your Pokémon then," Jane insisted. "I hope you don't keep it locked up in that Pokéball all of the time!"

"I don't," Kaida said defensively.

She released Cyndaquil.

"It's so CUTE!" Jane exploded.

She immediately was on her knees and cooing and petting the Cyndaquil. Nila watched with raised eyebrows. It was like Kaida but, somehow, far, far worse. Nila wasn't scared of much but, frankly, Kaida's family was terrifying.

"I could just gobble you up," Jane cooed, tickling Cyndaquil's belly. "Yes, I could, yes, I could."

John fancied that Vulpix looked embarrassed. This was proven correct when it hid its face behind its tail. Clearly it could even tell its trainer was completely and utterly _bananas_.

"Oh, I want to keep him here," Jane said. She looked at her daughter. "Can I?"

"No!" Kaida screeched.

After all that trouble she went through to get Cyndaquil and now her own mother was trying to steal her! This was unacceptable. Other children didn't have to go through this!

"Aw, why not?"

"Well, firstly, it is my _only _Pokémon so how would I get more," Kaida pointed out. "And, secondly, just _no_! It's mine. Get your own!"

"I could teach it some new moves," Jane begged.

Jane had once been an extraordinary trainer. She had bested gym leader after gym leader and had toured many places from the neighbouring region of Kanto to places much further away like Sinnoh and Hoenn. She had even been to the Orange and Sevii Islands. Then, one day, she had decided it was time to settle down. She rejected many offers to become part of gyms or, allegedly, part of one of the elite teams of one of the regions – she wouldn't say who – and instead had married Kaida's father, a far less proficient trainer, and had had Kaida.

Now she worked, quite profitably, as a trainer and move tutor for other people's Pokémon. People would pay her a reasonable sum to teach their Pokémon moves they could not naturally acquire. She could even help them with battling techniques, stamina, power, and almost anything imaginable.

Unfortunately she was one of those people who thought Pokémon were a great deal cuter than her new born baby. Kaida had thus been brought up in the household of a Pokémon maniac.

"Anyway," Jane said, standing up and conceding to her daughter's glare. "I was thinking of baking some cake."

Kaida and Nila blanched. John felt wary.

"Well, we need to go to bed soon," Kaida said quickly.

"Well you could have some for breakfast," Jane suggested. "A treat."

"My teeth might drop out," Nila said. She paused and injected fake shyness into her voice. "But maybe you could wrap some up and pack it in our bags so we can have it for lunch when we set off tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Jane said, beaming. "OK, off to bed with you. Show John the spare room and, John, if you leave your clothes out in the hall, I'll wash them and dry them. I've left some pyjamas on the bed for you."

"Thanks," John said.

They left the room and walked up the stairs.

"So, those cakes," Kaida muttered.

"Yeah, as soon as we're out of eyesight we'll chuck them," Nila murmured.

Kaida grimanced. "And mercy and pity on whatever fool of a Pokémon might stumble across them and try to eat them."

They reached the top of the landing and Kaida pointed John into the guest bedroom.

"Suppose I better go home then," Nila said, glancing up and down the hallway a little nervously.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow?" Kaida said.

She knew exactly why Nila was eager to escape. Unfortunately, it was not her lucky day.

"Who's there?" a voice demanded.

"Um, me?" Kaida said.

"Who is _me_?" the voice snapped.

"Kaida," Kaida said. "And Nila is here too."

Nila glared and mouthed, "Traitor!"

"And it was you who was causing the uproar downstairs?!"

"Yes, grandma. Sorry, grandma."

"Come in here! Both of you!"

Reluctantly Kaida and Nila walked up to the ajar door and pushed it open. They ended a room to see an old woman rocking gently on a rocking chair in the middle of the room. She had a walking stick propped up beside her and was knitting what appeared to be an extremely lumpy pink scarf. Oh, _hell_, Kaida thought, hoping desperately it wasn't for her. It probably was. Life hated her.

"Come closer you two," Margaret commanded. "I'm a poor old woman and my legs aren't what they used to be."

Neither Nila nor Kaida had the guts to call Margaret out on her boldfaced lie. Margaret might occasionally wheel herself about on a wheelchair, or lean on her stick, but she could walk perfectly well if she had to. She liked people to underestimate her and cater for her every need. She also liked others to fear her. This was why she particularly enjoyed the wheelchair and her walking stick because she could run people over and hit them.

"Closer!" Margaret ordered.

Nila and Kaida shuffled forwards a few paces.

"Get in front of me right this instant!" Margaret half-screamed.

They were there in an instant and Margaret grabbed her stick from beside her and dealt them two sharp blows each.

"Don't think I don't know what you two are doing! My own _granddaughters_!"

Yes, Margaret was fine in body, but apparently not in mind. Everyone had to resign themselves to the fact that, no matter what they said, Margaret was completely stubborn and would never concede to them. Therefore there was no point in attempting to explain that Nila was _not _Margaret's granddaughter. Still, Kaida thought, it was better than when she mixed the pair of them up. It was a little confusing because they looked nothing alike.

"I want some tea!" Margaret demanded.

She was perfectly able to get it herself, Kaida thought, irritated, but she just liked to order people around. She stopped herself from sighing – that would earn her another vicious whack from the stick – and walked back downstairs.

"Now, Kaida," Margaret said to Nila. "I'm glad you've finally grown. I thought you were going to be a midget forever! I asked myself why you couldn't inherit the genes from me and your mother."

As much as Nila feared Margaret – and for good reason – she did always marvel at the extent of Margaret's delusions compared with her ability to function reasonably normally. In this case, not only was she mixing Nila up with her real granddaughter, but she seemed to be under misconception that she herself was tall. Jane, Kaida's mother, was around six foot, but Margaret was only a little taller than Kaida. Kaida had evidently inherited her tiny build from her.

"Now go get me some tea," Margaret said.

"You just sent–OW!"

Nila dodged the second blow.

"Don't speak back to your elders and betters!" Margaret screeched. "And don't run away from me!"

"You wanted tea," Nila said, dashing from the room.

"Don't talk back to me!" Margaret howled after her.

But that was it, Nila was out of there. She had collected enough bruises for one day.

"See you tomorrow!" Nila called to Kaida.

She didn't wait for a response. Kaida might try to persuade her to stay by bribing her with more lovely store-bought brownies.

Kaida heard someone coming down the stairs and glanced out of the kitchen just in time to see Nila dart out the door and slam it behind her. She scowled. Coward. Then again, it was better to be a coward as far as Margaret was concerned. She did _not _accept insubordination. Margaret would possibly be the scariest military commander _ever_. There would be no disobedience or mutiny under _her _watch.

Kaida finished the tea and brought it upstairs to Margaret. She handed it over and Margaret took a sip before spitting it out.

"Bleurgh!" Margaret scowled. "Are you trying to poison me?!"

"Sorry," Kaida apologised. "I can go make more…?"

"No, don't bother, it will be just as rubbish. Help me into bed and that clean that up!"

Kaida helped support her grandmother over to the bed, which was a considerable feat since Margaret was a lot heavier than her small frame suggested. Kaida then turned to leave when she felt the polished stick land on her shoulder. She gulped and turned around.

"Why have you shrunk?" Margaret asked suspiciously.

"I haven't shrunk."

"Yes, you have," Margaret said angrily. "Don't contradict me."

That was Nila, you fool, Kaida thought. She didn't dare voice these thoughts.

"And your hair! It was dark brown and now it is that horrible shade of red!"

"Thank!" Kaida spluttered.

"You know how I feel about hair dye!" Margaret said, whacking her stick onto Kaida's arm.

"Yeah," Kaida said, now sufficiently annoyed to get some guts and argue back. "You liked it until you got so many greys it couldn't cover it. Then you got sour and now no one else can use it!"

"How _dare _you!"

Kaida jumped backwards before she could land another hit. She ran towards the door. She was about to leave the room when she poked her head back around and yelled, "It wasn't dyed anyway!"

She dodged, swiftly, as Margaret threw her stick at her. It clattered off the wall with a long bang. That was going to leave a dent. Hopefully her grandmother would have forgotten about this in the morning. Otherwise Kaida was dead.

Kaida padded back downstairs with Cyndaquil hopping down the stairs behind her squeaking as it landed on each step. Kaida entered the kitchen and was immediately grabbed by her mother who was covered in cake mix.

"Kaida sweetie can you go feed the guests please I'm a little..." She looked down at herself. "Well you know, be a dear, the bowls are on the table outside"

She smiled and returned to her baking, or mess making, as that was more like it.

"Fine, come on Cyndaquil."

"'Quil" it said looking puzzled

"This way."

Kaida pushed open the back door of the kitchen.

"You are about to meet my mother's crazy work…"

Kaida held the door open as the tiny creature jumped from the doorstep and immediately squealed before trying to hide behind Kaida's leg.

"It's ok they won't hurt you," Kaida assured Cyndaquil.

She grinned as she picked up the Pokémon and cradled it in her arms.

"These," Kaida introduced, "are the guests of this mad house."

Before them stood two acres of land, all of which was covered in different types of Pokémon. As her mother's job was to teach Pokémon new moves, sometimes it meant they had to stay in her garden for a day to maybe a week as some Pokémon took more time then others to learn a move properly. Sometimes it even depended on a move. A simple move like taunt could be learnt in an hour, but the more powerful moves such as hyper beam took weeks to learn. Each Pokémon was monitored carefully during their stay, each were given a tag on arrival with stated their arrival date, the trainers name, the move it needed to learn and the contact number of the trainer to call when the Pokémon was ready to pick up. Kaida gave Cyndaquil one last reassuring hug before putting it back on the lawn.

"OK, losers, dinnertime," Kaida yelled, picking up two dishes and banging them together.

Heads turned from every corner of the garden as Kaida poured the home made food into many little bowls before carrying them to various areas of the garden. The rock area that today held three Geodude and a Nosepass. Then there was the forest area which bore many bugs like Wurmple and Caterpie. The makeshift cave contained a Teddiursa and a Gliscor. After trips to all these areas, Cyndaquil had started to try and carry a bowl as well. Kaida giggled as it almost toppled over under the weight of the food.

She had saved her favourite area until last: the fire area, which was at the top of the garden near the house. It was a perfect view from her bedroom window. Her mother's fire Pokémon also liked to come and sit in the fire area when they weren't guarding the rest of the garden. Her Charizard sat snoring up against the house with little flames escaping its partly open mouth. It was probably tired from another day of flying around New Bark Town. Her mother's Ninetales had seemingly taken over guard duty and was looking over the pond that was full of Magikarp. Kaida had always wondered what on earth you could teach a Magikarp to make it less of a joke. Maybe a slap attack as no one would want to get slapped in the face with a wet fish... She was pulled out of her daydream as she was tackled in the back of the legs by a Houndour.

"Ooof!"

Kaida landed face down in the grass. She turned her head to glare at the Pokémon who was now being advanced on by angry fire Pokémon whose dinner had been scattered over the lawn.

"Damn dark Pokémon," Kaida said angrily.

Cyndaquil noticed its owner's bad mood and licked Kaida's nose affectionately.

"Don't damn my beauties," Nila's voice echoed over the garden.

Kaida turned her body and sat up to see her friend leaning over the fence.

"Spectacular fall by the way. Beautiful landing. Ten out of ten." Nila smirked

"Go play with a Metagross," Kaida said, glaring.

She walked the width of the garden and hopped up onto a bench to reach eye level with Nila.

"Well, aren't you pleasant this evening."

"And you are very chicken-ish this evening"

"Oh come on," Nila said. "Wild Gengar would run from your grandmother. She is a psycho."

Kaida nodded before looking at her Cyndaquil, who was trying and failing to climb up onto the bench to be alongside Kaida.

"Come here you!"

Kaida lifted up Cyndaquil and placed it on her shoulder.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing," she cooed.

"'Quil, 'Quil," it answered

"Oh, get a room," Nila said, pretending to gag until something caught her attention. Her eyes widened. "Look."

"What now?" Kaida glared.

"UMBREON," Nila stated solemnly. She looked half hypnotised. She continued with, "The beautiful, perfect darkness."

She pointed toward the forest area. Kaida followed her finger to the Umbreon that was quietly snoozing under a tree.

"I want it," said Nila. Her eyes were like saucers. "What do you think it is learning?"

Nila jumped up and down to try and get a better view, causing the bench she was standing on to squeak.

"I'll go and check."

Kaida sighed as her friend continued to jump. She silently walked over to Umbreon with Cyndaquil swaying on her shoulder. The Umbreon opened its eyes as she got within touching distance.

"It is OK, I m not going to hurt you."

Kaida stroked its face and held the tag hanging around its neck in her hand.

"Its here to learn Dark Pulse," Kaida yelled.

"That is the ultimate move," Nila yelled back. She sighed. "It's so perfect."

"It also belongs to Kyle."

"Don't ruin my dreams."

Nila actually pouted. It was creepy.

Kaida gave the Umbreon on last pat on the head and went back to her position on the fence.

"You can always get one on our travels."

"I suppose."

Nila sighed. Apparently that was too long to wait.

"Nila!" a voice called.

"Yes, Mother," Nila yelled back.

She gave Kaida a desperate look that begged Kaida to save her.

"Have you packed for tomorrow?" Nila's mother demanded.

"Yes, mother," Nila repeated wearily.

"Have you packed enough clean underwear?"

"Yes, I have!" Nila screamed back. She scowled. "I'm a big girl now mother."

"Oooh," Nila's mother called. "I found your black lacy pair! Do you want me to pack them?"

"What?!" Nila yelped. "I don't own any!"

"Hmm," Nila's mother mused. "Maybe they are your brother's then."

"What?!" Nila cried, mortified.

At this statement John's head appeared out of the window of the guest room.

"What are you shouting about?" he asked

"Oh, we are just discussing the whereabouts of Nila's underwear," Kaida answered simply.

"OK…" John replied, puzzled.

"Oh, is that a boy?" Nila's mother asked

"Yes, Mother." Nila gnashed her teeth

"Shall I pack some condoms?"

"WHAT?!" Nila screamed.

Kaida burst into fits of laughter

Nila wasn't finished. Outraged, she shouted, "I'm _twelve,_ mother"

Nila's mother tssked. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Excuse me while I kill my mother," Nila muttered to a hysterical Kaida before storming back into her house, slamming the door with as much force as she could muster.

"Well," John said from above. "That was... Unusual?"

John scratched his head. He looked down to see Kaida still rolling around laughing on the lawn, with her Cyndaquil trying to imitate her.

-

The next morning they decided that, since they were heading in the same direction, towards Violet City and, for Kaida and Nila at least, the first Pokémon gym.

"Oh," John said, "but I have something do first."

"What?"

"I want to catch a Hoothoot."

This seemed rather random for a person who claimed to have little preference in Pokémon.

"It looks funny," John said. He grinned at the thought of it. "I want one."

"I see," Nila said, mouth twitching.

"But anyway, I'll have to go at night. More chance of finding one then. So I was thinking tonight I'd go camping. I can go and get my stuff from my house in Cherrygrove. There should be enough time. But if you don't want to wait around then it is fine."

"No," Kaida said, glancing at Nila. "That's fine. We can wait around."

They hurried the few miles to Cherrygrove to John's house, where he proceeded to find a large backpack. They then walked back towards one of the small woods between New Bark and Cherrygrove. John found a clearing and threw his backpack to the floor with a crash. Nila and Kaida blinked. What on _earth _did he have in there? The question was soon solved when John unzipped his bag and pulled out a tent, which quickly popped into shape. After that he withdrew a chunky pair of binoculars, a frying pan, a fold up deckchair, a portable aluminium barbeque, and a carton of apple juice.

"Ooh," Nila said. "Apple juice. Can I have it?"

John glared. "Touch the apple juice, feel the frying pan."

Nila shrunk back, glaring, but her eyes were still firmly fixed on the apple juice. Kaida sighed. This was all going to end badly. She watched as Nila slunk forwards and John lifted the frying pan threateningly. Nila stepped backwards. Her eyes were shifty. Kaida knew that she would try to sneak attack and steal the juice later.

"Now, John said, "we wait."

He sat down on his deckchair.

Five hours later and a twitch was developing in Nila's eye. Kaida had long given up and curled up next to her Cyndaquil in her sleeping bag. She could not remember being so bored in her entire life. All this fuss over an _owl_. Now, if it was a fire Pokémon then she could understand. The fluffy Flareon, the majestic Rapidash, the sluggy Slugma, the fierce Blaziken, the rugged Growlithe…

"You've gone into daydream land again," Nila said, prodding her. "Come on. I need your help. John's distracted. It's time to strike. The apple juice will be _mine_."

Kaida looked over at John. He was prowling around the trees with his binoculars out, searching for the Hoothoot. Kaida huffed.

"No, I'm going to sleep," Kaida said, rolling onto side and snuggling further into her sleeping bag. She wasn't going to risk a whack from that frying pan. It looked heavy… Kaida reached out towards Cyndaquil, who was curled up snoozing next to her. It could protect her from the evil frying pan with its fiery greatness…

"I think I see one!" John hissed suddenly. He turned around and his eyes fell onto his empty deckchair. "Nila!" He demanded, "Where's my apple juice?"

John picked up the frying pan and waved it menacingly.

"What?" Nila jolted. "Huh?"

Chikorita awoke from Nila's sudden movement. It looked decidedly grumpy. Like trainer, like Pokémon, Kaida thought.

"Give it back now," John ordered. "That was _my _apple juice."

"I don't it," Nila objected. "Kaida?"

"I'm asleep!"

John scowled. He turned back around at the sound of wings flapping and put his binoculars up to his face. Peering through he saw that the Hoothoot had disappeared.

"Great," he said, cursing. "Now I've lost it." He turned back to Nila and glared. "It's all your fault."

"Me?"

"You distracted me! Now, where is my apple juice? You can't have drunk it all."

"I didn't take it."

John scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm not a complete idiot."

"Clearly you are because I didn't take it."

"Shut up!" Kaida groaned, her arms tightening around her beloved Cyndaquil.

It made such a comfy pillow…

"You can't just steal my apple juice," John said crossly. "We'll have to settle this with a battle then."

He nudged Totodile with his foot. The small Pokémon jumped up instantly, quacking excitedly.

"Chikorita!" Nila said.

Totodile hopped around energetically. Chikorita looked on, unimpressed by the display. It turned its nose up and returned to its sleeping position.

"Totodile, scratch!"

Totodile launched itself at Chikorita, who was bowled backwards. Chikorita leapt up angrily, shaking its head.

"Chikorita, tackle!"

Chikorita slammed into Totodile, who flew backwards several metres but soon regained its footing and danced tauntingly as it cackled.

"Ugh," Kaida said, irked. "Stop fighting!"

She sat up and groped around for her bag. Maybe she could find something to serve as earmuffs to block them out. Only, to her bewilderment, she could not find her bag.

"Hey!" Kaida yelped. "What… My bag?!"

Kaida and John paused, looking around for the perpetrator. If it hadn't been either of them then who was the thief?

The answer came in the form of a smug hoot above their heads. Up on the branch of a tall tree sat a Hoothoot in a next with a leaking carton of apple juice – its claws had pierced the sides – and Kaida's bag, which was getting small smudges of juice on it.

"Oi!" Kaida shouted, shaking her fist.

The Hoothoot only looked amused. It hooted again. Kaida scowled. Bloody birds.

"Hoothoot," John cried. His eyes shone. "The perfect specimen!"

He withdrew a Pokéball.

"It's a kleptomaniac Hoothoot," Nila said sceptically. "Why would you want that?"

"Give me back my bag!" Kaida yelled.

"Plus," Nila added. "It is a bird. There will be bird poop everywhere."

She shuddered violently.

"Go Totodile," John instructed. "Climb up that tree and scratch it!"

Totodile bounced up the side of the tree but Hoothoot merely flapped its wings and flew out of the nest. Totodile scrambled after it, jumping into the air. Totodile missed as Hoothoot evaded and then went tumbling to the ground. In addition, as Totodile had jumped, it had knocked the nest from the tree and the apple juice landed with a splat on the ground between Nila and John, drenching them with sticky liquid. Kaida caught her bag safely and cradled it to her chest.

"Chikorita," said Nila, furiously wiping juice from her eyes. "Tackle!"

Hoothoot flew out of reach, taunting them all, as Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita all failed to land an attack. John's eyes were shining more brightly at the prospect of catching such an intelligent creature, Nila was enraged about her hair and clothes that were sticky with juice, and Kaida was just happy to have her bag back. Plus, Cyndaquil looked cute jumping around.

"Come on," John said, now frustrated. "If you can't weaken it then I can't catch it!"

Hoothoot continued to dodge, flying just out of reach. Now Kaida was getting annoyed. She was tired and wanted to _sleep_ and she couldn't with the current ruckus. She waited until the Hoothoot drew near, its back to her as it dodged the attacks playfully, and then, _whack, _hit it over the head with a frying pan. It crumpled down to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"Well," said John slowly. "That's not how I expected my first battle and catch to go… But I'll take whatever I can."

He threw the Pokéball. It flashed for a moment before stopping. Hoothoot had been successfully caught! And now, Kaida thought, relieved, they could all finally go to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: lullabies and embarrassment

**3. Lullabies and other Embarrassing Moments.**

John didn't seem to be able to stop grinning the next morning because of his success in capturing Hoothoot – ignoring the fact that the success had been mostly due to Kaida – the previous night. Nila and Kaida were stooped and tired while he strode into Cherrygrove City, invigorated and smiling. His Totodile was prancing alongside him, mimicking its trainer's jaunty steps.

"Finally," Kaida said. "I can go to _bed_."

"Why would you do that?" John asked.

"We were up half the night!"

"Eh," John said dismissively. "That's plenty of sleep. We should do something. We should get going to Violet City."

"We won't get there in a day," objected Kaida, "and I'm too tired to walk. We should stay here for the day and go tomorrow."

"Fine," John conceded. "You can stay around my house tonight. We'll leave tomorrow."

"Thanks," Kaida said, smiling gratefully.

John shrugged. "No problem. You let me stay at yours."

John's house was on the outskirts of Cherrygrove, near to the sea and the road to New Bark. It was pretty and pink and didn't suit John one bit, since he wore dark, well worn jeans and a forest green jacket, and had an air of practicality about him. It didn't suit his mother either. She _did _bustle them in and offer them food but she followed this up by setting her Poliwag on some Rattata that had invaded the pantry. She sounded particularly fierce and yelled several expletives before remembering they were there and apologising.

"I have to go to work," she said a few minutes later, "but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. Just leave me a note if you decide to leave town, all right, John?"

"Yeah, will do," John said, ignoring her in favour of his cornflakes.

Once they finished breakfast, Kaida decided to have a short shower and then to she took a nap on the sofa while Nila and John took their showers – washing the apple juice from their hair – and then they went out to the Mart to pick up some supplies. When she woke up again there was no one in the house. She checked her watch and frowned. She was surprised that Nila and John hadn't returned. She decided that she would go and look for them. Putting a sleeping Cyndaquil into its Pokéball, she got up and found her bag.

She wasn't sure whether to lock the door or not but, since she had no key and Poliwag was still wandering around the kitchen, she decided to leave it. She closed it behind her and walked back towards the centre of Cherrygrove. Nila and John had said they were going to the Mart to get some more Pokéballs and some top up first aid items. She could probably find them there. Hopefully she would bump into them while they were on their way back or something.

And so Kaida walked along, minding her own business, when, abruptly, a strange ghostly Pokémon appeared in front of her. It was a dark blue with pink tips and it looked at her for a second before its eyes flashed and Kaida felt a wave of dizziness rush over her. She stumbled from one side to the other, trying desperately to stay on wavering feet. She collapsed onto her knees and almost face planted into the ground. But then the dizziness seemed to lift a little and things became clearer.

She looked around and saw Cyndaquil. It was staring at her, unblinkingly, and she rushed towards it. Had this Pokémon – Misdreavus – hurt it? She patted Cyndaquil all over. It seemed to be fine.

"Well that's a relief," she said.

Cyndaquil still wasn't moving.

"Cyndaquil? Are you OK?"

Now she was beginning to get concerned. She picked Cyndaquil up. She needed to go to the Pokémon Centre. Cyndaquil had to be checked out. She couldn't let anything bad happen to her poor Pokémon. She knew vaguely where the Pokémon Centre was and, ignoring her light-headedness, she began to stumble in that direction.

However, when she reached the Pokémon Centre Nurse Joy was extremely unhelpful, telling her that she should sit down while she went to get a Doctor after Kaida insisted the Nurse take a look at Cyndaquil. She left without explanation. Now Kaida was terrified. Did Cyndaquil have some terrible illness? Was Cyndaquil going to be all right? She didn't think she could rest until she knew. She hoped the Doctor would get there soon to answer her questions.

"Hey."

Kaida looked up to see Nila and John entering the Pokémon Centre. She smiled.

"Um, why are you holding that?" John asked, sounding confused.

"Because Cyndaquil is hurt," Kaida replied.

"Really? How?" Nila asked, concerned. Then, strangely, she asked, "Where is Cyndaquil? Does Nurse Joy have him?"

Kaida frowned. What was wrong with Nila? Cyndaquil was right on her lap.

"Right here," she said, petting Cyndaquil. "It's OK, Cyndaquil. Don't worry. Nurse Joy went to get a Doctor. It's going to be all right."

"I don't think that Doctor was for Cyndaquil," Nila said, her eyebrows raised.

"Well who would it be for?" Kaida asked. She then began to worry aloud. "I hope Cyndaquil isn't too badly hurt."

Nila grabbed John's sleeve and pulled him away. Once they were out of earshot they both looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"She's talking to a rock," Nila said bluntly.

"It's not even an interesting rock," John replied.

Nila quirked an eyebrow. "What rock is?"

"Well, plenty of rocks actually," John said. He patted his backpack and then groaned. "I left my rock polisher at home. Lots of rocks have fossils and they're inventing technology to bring back extinct Pokémon from them. It's fascinating. Not to mention there are just normal rocks as well who…"

Nila tuned out as she saw Nurse Joy coming back in. She walked over to her.

"What's wrong with her?" She pointed to Kaida. "She thinks that rock is her Cyndaquil."

"I'm not sure," Nurse Joy said. "I did check her head and there is no visible sign of concussion. The Doctor is over there now."

Nila saw a tall man in a suit examining Kaida's head. Kaida didn't even seem to notice he was there. She continued to chatter away to her 'Cyndaquil,' reassuring it that everything was going to be OK. The Doctor even tilted her head up and shone a light in her eyes and she still continued to talk as if nothing was happening.

The Doctor returned.

"It seems you were correct, Nurse Joy. She's just been hit by a stray Confuse Ray or Confusion. It seems to be harmless. It will soon wear off. She just needs someone to keep an eye on her so she doesn't hurt herself for the time being."

"Um," Nila said, "I'm her friend. I can do that."

Nila and John bundled Kaida out of the Pokémon Centre a few minutes later with strict instructions not to let her out of their sight. That was perfectly all right for both of them, since now they knew Kaida was going to be all right, her condition had become extremely amusing.

"And aren't you just the cutest little thing in the world."

Nila and John tried to hold back the sniggers as Kaida cooed at a jagged, dirty rock that was the rough size of a Cyndaquil. She began to rock it back and forth in her arms and then, in a move that caused almost intolerable hysteria for Nila and John, she started to sing a lullaby.

Nila and John were laughing so hard that they didn't notice her walking straight into someone. They heard an "oof" and rushed to apologise. Kaida had run into a black haired boy with a red and white striped top and a Misdreavus hovering behind him. He eyed Kaida oddly as she continued to sing.

"Rock-a-bye Cynda, on the stove top… Rock-a-bye Cynda, where it's nice and hot…"

"Um, is she OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's fine," Nila said. "She's just been hit by a confuse ray or something. She'll be back to normal soon. She thinks that her rock is a Cyndaquil."

The boy paled.

"But it isn't a Cyndaquil," Nila said loudly to Kaida, to absolutely no effect.

She reached for Kaida's waist and pulled the Pokéball containing Cyndaquil. She released it and watched as Cyndaquil looked around in some confusion before its eyes settled on Kaida hugging the rock.

"Aw, Cyndaquil!" Kaida said to the rock. "You're so cute!"

The real Cyndaquil head butted Kaida's leg. When Kaida continued cooing at the rock it grew a little more frantic and hit her again. Then it attempted to climb up her leg. Kaida didn't seem to realise that it was there.

"This is all my fault," the boy said suddenly.

"What?" Nila asked sharply. "What do you mean?"

The boy gestured to his Misdreavus. "It just learnt confuse ray and it ran off a little while ago… It's a new Pokémon and I haven't got it completely under control yet… I'm so sorry."

Nila folded her arms across her chest and looked threatening.

John was still laughing as Kaida began to kiss the rock on top of what she imagined to be Cyndaquil's head.

"I'm really, really sorry," the boy apologised.

"You can tell that to her when she gets out of this state," Nila said, nodding in Kaida's direction.

"I will," the boy said. "I'm so sorry."

"All right, stop apologising," Nila said.

"Cyndaquil," Kaida said. "You feel funny… You're very heavy. What has Nila been sneaking you?"

She looked at the rock confusedly. She blinked several times. She looked over at John.

"Does Cyndaquil look funny to you?"

John laughed.

"Nila?" Kaida asked.

"No, no, it looks _exactly _the same," Nila said dryly.

She shot the boy with the Misdreavus a dirty look. He put his hands up defensively and, once again, mouthed, "I'm so sorry."

"You look… brown?" Kaida said. She cocked her head to one side. "And… Argh!" Kaida yelped and dropped the rock. Cyndaquil, who was butting her leg, jumped out of the way in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding being squashed.

"That's not Cyndaquil!" Kaida said, shocked. "What…?"

She looked up and spotted Misdreavus hovering behind the strange boy's shoulder.

"Aah! That's it! What did it do to me?!"

"I'm _really_ sorry," the boy said. "It used confuse ray on you. I didn't mean for it to happen. I promise I will keep a _much _closer eye on it from now on. Look, can I make it up to you? Umm, would you like me to buy you a milkshake or something?"

Kaida blinked. "Um, yes?"

Abruptly, Nila snickered. The other three looked at her in confusion. Nila just shook her head and refused to elaborate.

"Go on then," she said to Kaida. "Go get _milkshake_. Meet us back at John's house."

Kaida nodded absentmindedly. She turned to the boy and asked for an explanation. He explained his trouble with his new Pokémon – he'd never had such an unruly and disobedient Pokémon before – and apoloised once again.

They reached the milkshake shop and the boy stopped outside the door.

"I just realised," he said. "You don't know my name. I'm Matt."

"Kaida," Kaida said.

In the milkshake place you could order pretty much any flavour conceivable. Kaida mused over her choices and eventually settled on an extra large double chocolate.

"There is no way you'll be able to finish that," Matt said.

"Wanna bet?" Kaida asked.

It was _chocolate_. Yummy.

Despite his doubts, Matt ordered it for her anyway. He got a large mint milkshake and they found a table near the back where it was quieter. Kaida sat down in front of him and got her first chance to study him. He was taller than her – not that this was a difficult feat – and maybe a little bit older. His black hair was swept across his face and his skin was a pale contrast. She flushed slightly. He was…

She cleared her throat and took a long sip of her milkshake.

"There is _no way_ you can drink all of that," Matt repeated.

"I can," Kaida insisted. "I have before."

Matt shook his head. "I'm afraid that I'll have to see it to believe it."

Kaida took another determined slurp. She would definitely prove him wrong.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Thirteen. You?"

"Twelve."

"So you just got your first Pokémon?"

"Yeah, Cyndaquil."

At this, Kaida blushed. He had seen her acting so ridiculously. She had thought a _rock _was Cyndaquil. Oh _damn, _she had sung a lullaby to a _rock_ and he had heard! It was awful! She couldn't sing! And even if she could it would have still been mortifying. She wanted to sink into a hole in the ground…

"Again, I'm _so _sorry about Misdreavus," Matt said. "I'm really embarrassed."

"But why?" Kaida blurted.

Matt shifted awkwardly. "Well, I've been a trainer for a year. I've even got a few gym badges. Yet I'm clearly still _completely_ incompetent. Letting Misdreavus do stuff like that…"

"It wasn't your fault," Kaida said generously. Generously and honestly. "You said Misdreavus was a new Pokémon. You just haven't had a chance to train it properly."

"Well you only just got your Cyndaquil and it seems to adore you," Matt muttered. He shook his head. "Sorry. I shouldn't be bitter. I have loads of well behaved Pokémon. I should be grateful that Misdreavus is the first to act out this way. Some people have _much _worse problems."

"Wow," Kaida said. "You have lots of Pokémon? Which ones?"

"Well, I have a Murkrow but it's at home at the moment," Matt replied. "I also have Furrett and Ariados and Growlithe–"

"You have Growlithe?!" Kaida said, excited. Then she blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine," Matt assured her, smiling. "You like Growlithe?"

"I _love _fire Pokémon," Kaida said, patting the Cyndaquil resting on her lap. "I want to catch every fire Pokémon in the world. I could be a fire Pokémon gym leader. I don't know! I just love fire Pokémon."

"Well, we can go outside and you can see my Growlithe."

"Really?!" Kaida beamed. "That would be _great_."

She stood up. She was ready to abandon any milkshake – no matter how delicious – for a glimpse of a fire Pokémon.

"Aha," Matt teased. "I knew you couldn't finish it."

Spurred on, Kaida put her mouth over the straw and sucked furiously. A few seconds later and she pulled back.

"All gone," she said, grinning wildly.

"No way," Matt said.

His eyes widened. He peered over the enormous glass and saw she was telling the truth. The milkshake was all gone.

"You," he said, "are a bottomless pit. How are you so small?!"

Kaida shrugged. "Dunno. Can I see the fire Pokémon now?"

Matt laughed. "Sure."

His Growlithe was _gorgeous_. Kaida wanted to run her hands over its fur and pet it and brush it and hug it. It was amazing.

"So, you fancy a little battle then?" Matt asked. "All friendly, of course, because I've got to leave early tomorrow and I can't have tired Pokémon."

"Yeah!" Kaida agreed.

It was clear that Growlithe far outclassed her Cyndaquil but it was definitely some good training. Besides, it was fun, and she got to admire Matt. He was a great trainer. In the space of a year she could only hope to become as good as he was.

"You're good already," he complimented. "You're so in tune with your Cyndaquil."

Kaida both smiled and blushed at the praise. When they finished, as Matt said he needed to go to where he was staying and get a good night's sleep, she couldn't keep the grin from her face as she walked back to John's. She replayed the day in her head. It had been amazing.

It was only the next day she realised that Matt was now gone and she didn't even have his number. The happy smile slipped from her face in an instant. She would probably never see him again.

-

After the incident with the rock, which John and Nila were _still _laughing about, John decided it would be best he try out his new Hoothoot. After all, it had been quite an unruly wild Pokémon and would probably need some training before it was obedient. Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile had all been raised by Professor Elm and were reasonably well behaved. Hoothoot, on the other hand, had not had this training, and it was John's responsibility to ensure that the Hoothoot would obey and work with him.

They walked to free land right next to John's house and he sent Hoothoot out of its Pokéball and the bird landed on a tree stump. It immediately began preening its feathers.

"What do I say?" John asked.

Nila shrugged.

"Hoothoot," John began. "So, I'm your new trainer now…"

Nila tried not to snigger.

"And basically I want to travel the world."

Hoothoot looked extremely disinterested.

"Anyway, I thought you should turn your talents to something other than _stealing_."

Now Hoothoot looked amused. If it could cackle then Nila thought that it would have.

"You should get some battle experience," he turned to Nila. "How about against you?"

"Um, sure," Nila said, a little doubtfully.

After all, the night previously, Chikorita had been unable to land a single blow on Hoothoot. It was clearly a fairly powerful wild Pokémon. Still, Chikorita did need some experience, even if it had to be against a type it was weak against. It would be better in the long run to get some safe practise now. She could trust John not to go too far.

"OK, Chikorita," Nila said. "Let's go."

Chikorita eyed the Hoothoot. Then, suddenly, Hoothoot shot into the air.

"Tackle!" John ordered.

"Dodge it," Nila ordered.

Chikorita evaded the attack in the nick of time. Both were fast Pokémon.

"Now tackle!"

Hoothoot flew out of reach.

"Tackle again," John ordered.

Hoothoot dived and this time Chikorita was too slow. Instead of tackling, however, the Hoothoot began to peck Chikorita, which caused Chikorita to cry out. It was super effective.

"Wow," John said. "I didn't know it knew that. OK. Peck again!"

"Dodge it," Nila said quickly.

Chikorita evaded again but failed to land its tackle attack afterwards.

"Damn it," Nila muttered.

The Hoothoot was impossible. It would simply fly out of reach. What was she supposed to now? Chikorita couldn't keep dodging forever. She betted that the Hoothoot had a lot more stamina than the young Chikorita. What else could she do though?

"OK, Chikorita," Nila said. "Try and dodge at the last second."

Hoothoot plunged from a great height, moving swiftly towards the Chikorita.

"Now!" Nila cried. "Kick out behind you!"

Chikorita's back legs impacted with Hoothoot's tail, send it crashing into the ground.

"Tackle!" Nila said.

Chikorita sent the Hoothoot flying back several metres as it attempted to get up. Chikorita moved for another attack but Hoothoot was up and flying again with an angry screech. Nila betted that move would not work again.

"Chikorita," Nila ordered. "Think about leaf attacks to get it while it is in the air. I know you can learn them."

Razor Leaf. Chikorita had to learn Razor Leaf.

Then, to Nila's utter amazement, Chikorita twirled its head and caught the Hoothoot by surprise. Sharp leaves were sent flying and they crashed into Hoothoot's wings.

Apparently Chikorita was a _very _quick learner.

"That was good," John praised.

Chikorita looked smug. Hoothoot looked annoyed. Nila wondered which of the two had a bigger ego…

Then John narrowed his eyes. "I think that Kaida's coming back home."

Nila turned and saw a small figure walking towards John's house. He was probably right.

"We should go and meet her," Nila said. "We can battle again later. Good work Chikorita."

She opened her arms for the Pokémon to jump into. Chikorita seemed to enjoy being carried around like a princess and Nila hadn't indulged Chikorita much so far. There was no point in being lazy: walking was always a better option.

John praised his Hoothoot, who seemed to be responding well to him whilst its ego was being appeased, and then returned it to his Pokéball. His long strides meant he caught up with Nila quickly and they walked back to his house.

He wondered what was for dinner… All that battling – no matter how short it had been – had made him hungry…

-

The next day John demanded they begin their trek to Violet City. They walked north of Cherrygrove City, the ground gradually sloping uphill as they drew further and further away from the sea. They saw a few other people on the way but nobody stopped to talk to them until later in the afternoon, after they had stopped for lunch, they ran into another trainer from New Bark Town, who had picked up a Chikorita.

"I didn't want to pick the easy option," the girl declared pompously to Nila. "I mean some people–" her eyes swung to Kaida and then back "–might need to do this, I know, because they know they won't be able to handle the responsibility…"

Kaida's hand twitched towards her Cyndaquil. She couldn't believe what this girl – Mary-Ann – was saying. Cyndaquil was _not _the easy option. She had wanted Cyndaquil because she loved it. It had nothing to do with responsibility or gym leaders and type match ups. She could take care of her Pokémon a lot better than this dithering idiot.

Nila looked bored as Mary-Ann prattled on about how her _darling _Chikorita was so obedient and docile – all due to her skill of course – and how it was picking up moves quickly thanks to her skilful guidance.

"Interesting," Nila said, speaking in a tone that suggested it was anything but that.

"I admire you Nila. Taking up the challenge. I never would have thought you'd dare considering your company. Apparently I had you pegged wrong."

That was it. Kaida marched towards Mary-Ann and shoved her face into the other's girls.

"That's it!" Kaida snapped. "You. Me. Battle. Now!"

Mary-Ann laughed scornfully. "Me, battle _you_?"

"Yeah, right here, right now!" Kaida said. "We'll see who really is the better trainer."

"Well you have the advantage of course," Mary-Ann said. "Seeing as you took the easy route and took–"

"It's not the easy route!" Kaida snapped.

Mary-Ann looked at her patronisingly. "Of course."

"I think you should battle her," Nila said.

Kaida looked at Nila, who was looking straight at Mary-Ann. Her eye was twitching slightly and Kaida knew that she was as irritated as Kaida by this girl's behaviour.

"Well–" Mary-Ann said.

"I mean, Cyndaquil hasn't even learned any fire moves yet," Nila said provocatively. "So it really wouldn't be a disadvantage. Or are you still scared?"

"Scared?!" Mary-Ann exclaimed. "Of course not."

She looked back at Kaida.

"OK then," she said. "We _will_ battle."

She threw her Pokéball and a very morose looking Chikorita emerged. Still, it walked forwards on command to face Kaida's Cyndaquil, who had emerged curiously from behind Kaida's legs.

"I can't believe your Cyndaquil hasn't learnt a fire attack yet," Mary-Ann said snobbishly. "My Chikorita has learnt lots of new moves already."

Kaida narrowed her eyes. She looked down at Cyndaquil.

"Let's show her, Cyndaquil."

Cyndaquil walked forwards determinedly.

"Chikorita!" Mary-Ann said. "Use Razor Leaf!"

"Quickly, dodge!" Kaida said.

Cyndaquil leapt out of the way of the sharp leaves.

"Now, use Tackle!" Kaida instructed.

"Tackle attack!" Mary-Ann said.

The two Pokémon slammed into each other and were bowled backwards. Cyndaquil leapt to its feet. Chikorita took a little longer to stand up.

"Come on, Cyndaquil, go again."

"You too, Chikorita!"

But then Cyndaquil began to move faster. Kaida frowned. That wasn't a Tackle attack. That was Quick Attack. Cyndaquil _had _learnt a new move and she could use it to her advantage. Cyndaquil was a fair bit quicker than Chikorita, as shown already by the time it had taken Chikorita to get up again after being knocked down.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," Kaida cheered. "Use that new move! Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil was now almost a blur as it zipped into Chikorita and sent it flying. When Chikorita got back to its feet again, Kaida ordered another attack, and Cyndaquil sent Chikorita flying again. This time Chikorita didn't get up. Kaida blinked. She couldn't believe it. She'd won! Well, she had known she was going to beat that stuck up Mary-Ann, but she was just surprised that she had managed it so quickly! It looked like Mary-Ann was all talk about how strong Chikorita had become.

"I…" Mary-Ann blustered. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it," Nila said. She shook her head slowly and continued, "You're an embarrassment to Chikorita trainers everywhere."

"What Pokémon you pick doesn't matter," John interjected. "You just have to be a good trainer."

"And clearly you aren't!" Kaida couldn't help but taunt her.

Mary-Ann returned Chikorita to its Pokéball and then burst into tears. She ran away crying. This didn't surprise Kaida and Nila at all. Mary-Ann had always done that in the past when she had not got her own way.

"Good one," Nila said, smirking.

_Yep,_ Kaida thought_, I obliterated her._ She'll think twice before saying those thoughts of things again… Well, actually, Kaida reconsidered, she probably wouldn't think twice. It was still Mary-Ann. She'd be her usual spiteful self in a day. But Kaida – and Cyndaquil – had won and that was all that mattered now.


	4. Chapter 4: dancing fashion disaster

**4. The dancing, prancing, fashion disaster.**

They continued their walk to Violet City, training, battling, and camping along the way. On way day, around midday, they stumbled around a peculiar sight. In the middle of the road, grooving from side to side and wiggling its spindly body, was a _Bellsprout_.

Kaida blinked. She opened and closed her eyes but it _was still there_. A Bellsprout. Dancing. Was every third Pokémon she met on drugs or something? First the drunken Totodile, then the kleptomaniac Hoothoot, and then… this. It was _insane_. She glanced at John. Yes, it looked like he did want to catch it for the craziness factor.

Bellsprout raised its leafy arms and spun around, pirouetting, and leaping, its head pointing to the sky. It seemed to be following an extremely precise routine.

Nila raised eye eyebrow. "What is wrong with it?"

"I think," John pondered, "that it might possibly be a dancing…"

"A dancing Bellsprout."

"Yes." John nodded.

"A dancing Bellsprout!" Nila scoffed. "Are you crazy? There must be a more logical explanation."

At that moment a girl came spinning out of a bush to Nila's left. She wore a vivid green tutu, with bright green leggings, topped off with dark brown, fluffy boots. Her top half consisted of a bright yellow tank top and a puffy green body warmer.

"Do you think she's blind," Nila whispered, "or stupid?"

"Maybe colour blind," John suggested.

Then, to everyone's general horror and amusement, she began to dance alongside the Bellsprout, wiggling her hips and waving her arms from side to side.

"Ahem." Nila coughed.

The girl froze. She turned and spotted them. Her eyes widened comically.

"Oh, hi," the girl said, offering a smile.

"Um, hi?" Kaida said, bemused.

"I'm training the girl told them. "It's for the annual Bellsprout dance off in Violet City."

It was safe to say, from the three blank faces, that nobody had _ever_ heard of that popular feature of the town. After all… Dancing with Bellsprout in a ridiculous outfit? Just... _why_?"

"That's… nice." Nila smirked.

She tried to hold back snorts of laughter.

Kaida, sensing the awkward laughter threatening to burst from Nila's mouth, asked, "What do you win from this contest?"

"You win the greatest honour known to man."

The stranger's eyes glazed over in delight as she thought of it.

"Which is…?"

But the girl gave no answer as she twitched on the spot, squeeing in happiness.

"Oi," Kaida yelled, jumping up and down on the spot. "Pay attention… You freaky fashion disaster."

The girl noticed Kaida's jumping and fist waving and her eyes went wide.

"Would you like to dance too?" the girl asked.

"What?" Kaida froze. "Are you freaking kidding me? Are you mental? I have some dignity at least."

Nila snorted. "Of course you do, rock lover."

Kaida glared over her shoulder at her and whispered, "I hate you."

This only made Nila laugh even more until John slapped her with his frying pan.

"I'm hungry," he stated. "Should we stop for lunch?"

John made a small fire and had Cyndaquil light it with the flames on its back. He then handed out plates and began to cook some eggs.

"So… what is your name?" Kaida asked, realising they didn't know, yet were feeding her.

"Flo," the girl told them.

"And, seriously, what is with the outfit?" Kaida continued.

Flo beamed. "It matches Bellsprout. See? Green and yellow! I just got it today and had to test it out. It's the perfect costume."

"So you don't normally dress like that?"

Flo shook her head at Kaida. "No, this is a special occasion outfit."

Nila muttered something about that really being the best for everyone's eyesight.

"Good," Kaida said. "Um, so what do you do at the dance off? Does everyone dance with Bellsprout?"

"Yup," Flo said enthusiastically. "Obviously Violet City has the famous Bellsprout Tower. That means there are lots of events to celebrate Bellsprout there."

"Why are you so far from Violet City?" John asked, passing her more eggs.

"Well I was just wandering around practising…" Flo sighed. "Also my Mum told me that I had to go and find Mr Pokémon. She's quite good friends with him and apparently she asked for a favour and he has something for me. It's meant to be a surprise." Flo's brow furrowed. "I wonder what it is."

"There is a guy called _Mr Pokémon_," Kaida repeated incredulously.

She glanced at Nila who looked equally flummoxed.

"Yeah, he's been helping Professor Elm with his egg research," Flo informed them. "He's managed to get quite a few specimens for Professor Elm to study. Obviously we know Pokémon come from eggs but the Professor and Mr Pokémon want to know more about the conditions in which the eggs will hatch."

Apparently Flo was slightly smarter than Kaida had realised. Then again, Kaida had dumbed her down mentally to about the age of five after seeing the horrendous outfit she was wearing. This had been further lowered to about two when she'd seen the dance and heard about the _Bellsprout Dance Off_.

"So do you want to come with me?" Flo asked. "It's just east of here a little way. He lives in the middle of nowhere. It's really quite annoying."

John looked at Kaida and Nila, who both shrugged to indicate they didn't mind.

"Meh, why not," John said.

He stood up and stretched his long legs. He looked down at the dirty plates and fire.

"Totodile really needs to learn water gun," he said decisively.

They found a steam instead, which washed the plates well enough for the time being. John used a combination of water and stones and dirt to put out the fire. After he packed everything away into his peculiar backpack, he let Totodile out of its Pokémon and attempted to encourage it to produce water while they walked. This distracted him often and caused him to stumble on several occasions. Nila snickered.

As they walked, Flo chattered. She was a bit more normal than her outfit suggested, but still fairly crazy. Kaida had a lot of experience with crazy people – her whole family were bonkers – so she managed to keep up with Flo's quick mouth.

They had to scramble through some trees, a hedge, and some quite thick prickly bushes. Fortunately, John had a tool in his bag that looked to be half scissor and half shear. That cut back most of the trickier brambles and they managed to scramble through.

"Why did we come this way?" Nila asked.

Kaida could see Nila developing a twitch in her eye again. She looked extremely irritated.

"It's fine," Flo said, waving a hand. She grabbed Nila's arm and began to tug her along. "It's just five more minutes in this direction."

She continued to drag Nila.

"Kaida," Nila snapped, staring at the offending hand. "She's _touching _me."

Kaida knew that Nila had some rather extreme concepts and limits regarding personal space and she only allowed a select few to touch her – including Kaida who was allowed brief contact – and that was only when she was feeling generous. Kaida knew that as soon as Flo let go then Nila would reach in her bag for her portable cleaning kit to sterilise where the girl had grabbed her. Either that or Nila would reach for a knife and chop off the girl's arm.

Nila's issues with cleanliness were a little odd. She could put up with walking around in the country – though she wasn't fond of it – and was willing to get dirty as long as she could get cleaned up afterwards. It seemed to be people that she disliked the most. No, she didn't like people germs _at all_.

Kaida decided it would be best to save Nila. She grabbed Flo's other arm and tugged her away. Flo let go of Nila's arm. Nila breathed a loud sigh of relief. Then she reached into her bag. Kaida tried not to laugh.

Mr Pokémon's house was not particularly impressive. It was small and a little run down and there were strange bits of metal lying outside that looked like discarded parts of machines. Flo seemed unperturbed and scurried up to knock on the door. After hammering a few times, with no response, Flo tried the door handle and, to her surprise, the door swung open.

"Hello?" Flo called.

Inside was dark and thick heavy curtains blocked all light from the windows. Flo fumbled around the wall for a light switch. When it turned on, and light flooded the room, she stepped backwards and gasped.

"What…?"

Kaida, Nila, and John peered around the door and all blinked in surprise. The place was trashed. Tables and chairs were over turned, a computer screen was smashed, and a small, steel machine next to it had wires hanging loose and some red and blue lights were flashing. A plant pot was smashed and bookshelves were over turned, with magazines splayed all over the floor alongside assorted coins that had spilled from torn boxes.

"What happened here…?" John muttered. He stepped inside and stood behind Flo, his eyes examining the scene.

"Mr Pokémon!" Flo called. "Are you here?" She looked back at them. "He could be here, hurt."

She hurried off into the other parts of the house, looking for any trace of the man.

Totodile hopped across the room, usually silent, and began to pick up some of the coins. He hopped back to John and handed some over.

"They'll all foreign," John said, peering at them. He looked up. "Looks like he had quite a big collection."

Cyndaquil snuffled its nose into some magazines. It found nothing of interest and returned to Kaida's side, sitting half-on her left foot.

Nila went over to examine the flashing machine. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. She decided it was best not to touch it, lest she made it explode or something.

Flo reappeared looking worried.

"He's not here. I checked all of the rooms. I think we should call the police." She frowned. "I don't have a phone." She patted down her outfit. "There are no pockets in this thing."

John handed her his. She started to make the call. A moment later and she was connected to the police and was explaining the situation.

"Yeah, I'll wait here," Flo said into the phone before she hung up.

"Let's wait outside," Kaida suggested.

They didn't want to disrupt the crime scene anymore than it already had. Also, the ransacked house was a little bit creepy. They went outside in to the sunshine and sat down on a few rocks in front of the house. Nila's Chikorita stretched out and began to sunbathe.

"Hey!" Flo said suddenly. "Here are some footsteps."

John walked over and saw the faint imprints of fairly large feet in the ground. It was likely an adult male. But was this Mr Pokémon or was it his mystery intruder?

"We should go follow them," Flo said. "They're wet and the sun is out. Soon it will dry out all the imprints in the grass, surely? And it will take a while for the police to get here…"

"Someone needs to wait to tell them where we went," John pointed out.

He looked at Nila and Kaida. They shrugged at each other.

Nila looked down at her Chikorita. "Well, seems Chikorita isn't moving for a while. I can stay."

"That thing is such a diva," Kaida muttered.

Kaida glanced back at Chikorita before she started to follow John and Flo with her Cyndaquil trotting behind her. It really was quite unbelievable.

The footprints led off into the woods. John, as it turned out, was an excellent tracker – or so it seemed – as soon they were following a path of broken twigs, bent foliage, and the occasional muddy foot print on the damp ground.

When John was asked how he knew all this, he simply replied, "I like the outdoors."

Soon John was forced to recall his Totodile – it kept trying to dart ahead and he was worried it would ruin the trail – but he sent out Hoothoot instead, ordering it to fly ahead and look out for any sign of other people. Hoothoot flapped its wings and launched off.

They continued to follow the trail for a while further before Hoothoot returned and flapped its wings in John's face. It then hooted and set off again, wheeling around in a circle when they failed to follow.

"It's a different direction from the trail," John said hesitantly.

"I can follow Hoothoot," Kaida said. "You and Flo follow the trail."

"Take her to whatever it is," John instructed," and obey what she says. Bring her back to me when she's done and asks."

Hoothoot flew off quickly and Kaida had to run to keep up. Cyndaquil scampered behind her, though likely it could easily overtake, as they followed John's Pokémon. It didn't take long before they came across a strange sight. It was a boy dressed in all black with black jeans and a black long sleeves shirt. What was peculiar, however, was an artfully ripped cape. The boy looked up and Kaida saw a pale face and dark brown eyes before he jerked his head away. When he looked up again he was wearing a steel mask.

"You!" Kaida said, shocked. "You're the one who stole the Cyndaquil!"

"How do you know that?" the boy demanded.

He stood up to his full height. He was a lot taller than her and probably older too. It was hard to tell without seeing any of his face.

"Oh," he said, spotting Cyndaquil. "You got a Pokémon from Professor Elm. I didn't think I left any Cyndaquil."

"You did," Kaida replied, "though this is the one that you dropped."

She couldn't believe it. This was the boy who had almost_ ruined _her chances of having a Cyndaquil! He had _stolen _the Cyndaquil… Perhaps he still had them. He needed to give them back. They belonged to Professor Elm. And if he wouldn't give them back then, well, she'd have to ignore what Nila said about this being a more experience trainer, because she was going to _get_ them back. Her fingers itched for John's frying pan. It had been a trusty weapon…

"Why did you steal the Cyndaquil anyway?" she asked crossly.

"I wanted some," he said.

"That's _it_?"

Somehow she had expected something more impressive.

"Yes," the boy said. "Plus, fire is my nemesis."

"It is?"

Kaida wondered why.

"I don't have time to deal with you. I'm leaving."

"Oh, no, you're not," Kaida said, running forwards.

Cyndaquil hurried to her side. Kaida looked around for Hoothoot but found it had gone. Damn it. Clearly John had not trained it that well after all.

"You need to give those Cyndaquil back," Kaida said. "They aren't yours."

The boy gave an irritated sigh. "Idiot. If I cared about them not being mine then _I wouldn't have stolen them_. Now go away before I crush you."

"No," Kaida said. "Did you do something to Mr Pokémon?"

"Oh, that," the boy said. "He wasn't even home. I went in and looked for the egg but I found the wrong one. I didn't want that one. I was looking for Beldum not _that_ rubbish Pokémon."

Kaida paused. "You can tell what is in the egg?"

"That's what his machine did," the boy informed her. "But then it broke and he came downstairs and started to fight me. His house got ruined and I left. He went chasing after me but he wasn't difficult to shake off."

The boy turned to leave.

"Cyndaquil!" Kaida said. "Stop him!"

"You just won't give up," the boy said. "Fine. Magnemite, go! Sonic Boom!"

Cyndaquil jumped out of the way, evading the attack by an inch.

"Tackle!"

Cyndaquil managed to tackle the Magnemite by launching itself from a high position but the attack didn't faze the Magnemite at all. Instead its eye rolled and it powered up another Sonic Boom. This time Cyndaquil was sent spiralling backwards into a tree. It slide down with a thud but soon was back on its feet.

Tackle hadn't hurt the Magnemite at all. Of course not, because it was part steel type. A fire move would be ideal but, while Nila had mentioned her Chikorita learning Razor Leaf, Kaida wasn't sure if Cyndaquil could learn a fire move so quickly.

"Tackle but hit it with your flames," Kaida ordered.

This seemed to be slightly more effective but it still wasn't a fire move.

"Thunder shock!" the boy ordered.

"Dodge!"

Too late. Electricity was coursing through the body of Cyndaquil. It hit the ground with a thump. It got back on its feet, wavering, and opened its mouth.

Fire erupted.

Ember!

Magnemite recoiled, spinning furiously.

Suddenly, the pair of them heard voices coming from the woods behind them.

"I don't have time for this, newbie," the boy said. "Magnemite, blast them both with Sonic Boom. Now!"

Magnemite obeyed and both Kaida and Cyndaquil were thrown off their feet. When they recovered, they looked up and saw that the boy was gone. The Cyndaquils were still with him. Kaida sighed in disappointment and defeat.

"Kaida!" a startled voice said. It was John. "Are you OK?"

He helped her to her feet.

Kaida looked around and saw a police officer standing with Flo, Nila, and a strange, goofy looking man. This had to be Mr Pokémon.

"We found Mr Pokémon walking around in circles. He was a bit lost," John said, patting Hoothoot, who was resting on his shoulder and looking smug again. "Hoothoot came and got us."

Oh, Kaida thought, mentally revising her opinion of John's bird slightly. Apparently it wasn't _all _bad then. It could actually be quite useful…

"It was the boy who stole the Cyndaquil," Kaida said.

She told the police officer everything she knew as they headed back to Mr Pokémon's house.

"Yes, that is what happened," Mr Pokémon agreed, confirming the story. "He kept ranting about how he heard I had a Beldum, although I actually only had it for a brief while to test my machine. It came from an associate in Hoenn." He sighed. "And now my machine is ruined. I suppose I can start again… But if I ever see that boy again, I'll make him pay…"

"Me too," Kaida said.

She had a sore bum from being knocked over. Plus, he had lots of kidnapped Cyndaquil.

"Anyway," Mr Pokémon said, turning to Flo. "He only found my other Egg."

He reached into his bag and held out a white spotted egg. He handed it to the short girl, who stared at it in amazement.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," he told her. "But it is something you'll find cute. Your mother did request it seeing as you love cute Pokémon."

Nila slunk up to Kaida's side and whispered in her ear.

"If she loves cute Pokémon so much then why on _earth_ does she have a Bellsprout?"

Kaida tried not to laugh. She was in complete agreement with her friend.

"Cool!" Flo said, hugging the egg to her chest. "What do I _do _with an egg though?"

"You just take it with you and your Pokémon and give it love. That seems to do it."

"I will do that," Flo promised. She hugged the egg tighter.

Kaida nudged Nila. "If she holds that any tighter then it is gonna crack…"

Nila sniggered. Flo's face would have been very amusing if that had happened. Fortunately Pokémon eggs were notoriously hard shelled and difficult to break.

After giving their reports to the police officer, they waited for Flo to finish thanking Mr Pokémon and then accepted the girl's offer to take them to Violet City. She said she knew a quick way – they hoped it wasn't through more brambles – and could get them there by night fall now that a lot of the day had been wasted.

Flo wasn't exactly right. It was dark and late when they arrived in Violet City – it was further away from Cherrygrove than Cherrygrove was from New Bark – but at least she had guided them reasonably safely through the dark. Warily, they accepted an offer to stay at her house, all the while hoping that it looked nothing like her apparent fashion sense and wasn't stuffed to the brim with Bellsprout.


	5. Chapter 5: fun and creepy games

**5. Fun and creepy games in Sprout Tower**

While New Bark Town and Cherrygrove were filled with pale buildings with bricks from the rocks of the area, the majority of the buildings in Violet City were made from wood. Instead of the cheerfully coloured roofs of the houses back home, Violet City buildings had sturdy brown logs all over, brought in from the forests surrounding it. It was a fairly large place and quite spread out because most of the buildings were low with few floors with the exception of the looming Sprout Tower that dominated the area.

It was nice though, Kaida reflected, and sort of homey, even with its vast size. She wasn't so keen on Flo's house though. It was filled to the ceilings with mismatching clutter and it was difficult to move anywhere without knocking something over. She vastly preferred John's house, but it looked like they would be staying at Flo's for a while.

"You should stay to watch my Bellsprout Dance-Off in a week's time," Flo said enthusiastically.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, with a clear blue sky except for the odd smattering of fluffy white clouds. Kaida, Nila and John had awoken to a beautiful day and, also, a hearty breakfast prepared by Flo herself, who was beaming proudly next to the kitchen stove.

And they were grateful for the hospitality, _really_, but it was quite evident that none of them found the prospect of watching something as ridiculous as a Bellsprout Dance off as a fun opportunity.

"Er," said Kaida, trying to think of a better way to say _no thanks_.

"Then afterwards I could come on your journey with you," Flo said.

Umm, Kaida thought. Well, she wasn't exactly opposed to Flo coming. Not really. She just hoped that Flo would not insist on practising the Bellsprout Dance routine or starting contests in other places or, worst of all, wearing yesterday's hideous outfit.

Flo was oblivious. "Besides, you won't be able to beat the gym leader here straight away. He's too powerful. You'll need to train up some Pokémon first."

"I'm not interested in gym leaders," John said. "I've got other goals."

They weren't exactly sure what these were, except for catching the strangest Pokémon possible, and he hadn't been very forthcoming when questioned.

"No point in me challenging this guy straight away," Nila said. "I can come back. He'll crush Chikorita."

Chikorita glared.

"You're grass type," Nila told her Pokémon bluntly. "He has flying type. So unless you learn some rock move or something…"

A thought seemed to have entered Nila's head. She started to tap away at her Pokédex.

"Well I want to challenge the gym," Kaida said. "Even if I lose I'll get an idea of how tough the gym leader is and what I have to beat. I do have to train up some more though. And catch some more Pokémon."

"So you should stay around here," Flo said, grinning. "You can go back out onto route thirty one. There is a cave and grass and water for fishing and stuff."

"Fishing," John said. "Sounds like a plan."

"That would require a fishing rod," Kaida pointed out.

John patted his bag. "I have some extremely high tech fishing equipment in here."

Seriously, Kaida wondered, how did he fit it all in there?

"Also," Flo continued, "I can show you all around Sprout Tower."

"Yay?" Nila tried.

Flo narrowed her eyes. She had begun catching onto sarcasm now. Kaida thought that it had taken her long enough… Although, at least she was wearing semi normal clothes now. These consisted of combat trousers and a purple hoodie.

"All right, Plum," Nila said, standing up.

"Plum?!" Flo repeated indignantly.

Nila ignored her. Instead she said, "Take us to this Sprout Tower. We can go Pokémon hunting later or tomorrow."

"There are some wild Pokémon in Sprout Tower," Flo said, effectively distracted from her new nickname.

They all blinked.

"Yeah, the priests like to leave it a little bit wild. There are Pokémon trainers there too. That is one of the reasons they say that the tower is so shaky: there are so many battles."

Kaida and Nila decided between themselves that battling would not be a bad idea at all. They might as well go to the tower and check out some of the competition so they could raise up their Pokémon. John, however, declined, saying that he was going fishing.

"Meet you back here tonight," Flo said. Then she turned to Kaida and Nila. "Come on guys!"

Sprout Tower was enormous and contained a great shuddering beam at the centre of it. Nila eyed it rather anxiously.

"That does not look sturdy," she said.

Kaida noticed that Cyndaquil was looking at it, a little concerned, as well. She patted it on the head to reassure it.

"Don't worry, it is," Flo insisted. "Come on."

She dragged them up the first flight of stairs and past two wrestling Bellsprout.

"Flo!" someone called.

A thin girl with orange pigtails made her way towards them.

"Ready for the dance off?" the girl demanded.

"Oh, I'm ready," Flo said narrowing her eyes.

The girl glared. "Well, you should just forget it, because I'm _readier_."

"I was ready before you," Flo snapped.

"Well I was _born _ready," the girl retorted.

Nila and Kaida watched the interaction with disbelief.

"Are they trying to trash talk each other?" Nila hissed in Kaida's ear.

Kaida nodded warily. "I think so."

"Well that means I was ready in the womb!" Flo riposted.

The girl with orange hair fluttered. "I was ready from the point of conception." She then tossed in, "Loser."

"Don't call me a loser, loser," Flo exclaimed.

Nila and Kaida began to slide off. Frankly, the display was cringe worthy.

"Hey," someone tapped Nila on the shoulder. "Do you want to battle?"

"Eh," Nila said, noncommittally, sizing the person up.

Kaida jumped in. "You can battle _me._"

The other girl's eyes swept over her. "Er, no offence but, no."

"Are you scared of my greatness?" Kaida demanded.

The other girl shook her head. "Not really. You just look a little, well, _puny_."

"Puny?!" Kaida exploded.

Nila started to laugh. Kaida gave her the evil death glare of doom. It seemed to have little effect. She must have overused it recently. That wouldn't do. Now Nila was building an immunity…

"OK," Nila said, "I'll battle you."

Kaida fumed. She snapped, "You only want to battle her because she insulted me! Because you think it is funny! Not because you want to defend my honour."

"Trust me," Nila said, "the last person to defend your honour would be me."

Puzzled, Kaida frowned. She was trying to work out whether that was an insult or a compliment. It was difficult to tell with Nila. A lot of the time it tended to be both.

"I'm Kate," the girl said.

"Nila," Nila replied. "And the puny one is Kaida."

That was it. Nila was getting a punch right as soon as she finished this battle or Kaida figured out what she had meant by not defending her honour… Whichever of those came first. Or last. Well, Nila was going to get a punch eventually for that jab!

"Go, Bellsprout," Kate cried, tossing her blonde hair behind her.

"Chikorita," Nila said.

Chikorita darted forwards. The leaf on its head spun twice.

"Bellsprout, Vine Whip!"

"Keep dodging, Chikorita," Nila ordered.

Chikorita narrowly avoided the strong vines as they lashed the ground.

"Now, tackle!" Nila ordered.

The Bellsprout went flying backwards head over heels. It got back to its feet.

"Now, Razor Leaf, Chikorita."

"Vine Whip them away!" Kate cried.

Bellsprout hit most of the sharp leaves away but one or two hit their mark.

"Damn," Kate cursed. "OK, Bellsprout, use Wrap!"

"Dodge!"

"Keep trying!"

Chikorita evaded the first few attempts but eventually the vines caught up and it was pulled into a tight hold. It began struggling almost instantly, attempting desperately to get free.

"Stop struggling," Nila ordered. "Now, you can still move your head. Razor Leaf!"

"Sleep Power, Bellsprout."

The spores were released at the same time Chikorita successfully hit Bellsprout with Razor Leaf and forced it to let go of Wrap.

"Chikorita, move!"

It was too late. The glittering dust hit Chikorita in the face. It sneezed and then began to waver on its feet.

"Stay awake," Nila instructed.

It was no use. Chikorita was slumped on the floor.

"Now, Bellsprout," Kate commanded. "Use Wrap again."

Nila could only watch as the sleeping Chikorita was crushed by the vines from Bellsprout. She frowned. What could she do now? Nothing, clearly, until Chikorita woke up.

"Chikorita!" she said loudly. "Get up!"

Surely the vines had to be squeezing hard enough to seriously hurt. Chikorita had to feel that and wake up… Right?

She was right. Chikorita was already stirring. But now the vines had covered its head and Nila had to think strategy wise. She couldn't hit Bellsprout but, perhaps…

"Chikorita, form the leaves but don't let go. Keep spinning."

Something was happening. Bellsprout was wincing in pain and, though the Wrap was tightening, Nila knew that in just a moment… Yes! The vines receded and Chikorita was free from Wrap. Chikorita was now await and ready with its whirling leaf on top of its head.

"Now release Razor Leaf!" Nila instructed. "Follow it up with Tackle!"

Chikorita sent an enormous stream of leaves towards Bellsprout. Then, once that ended, it slammed into Bellsprout's side. The Pokémon was thrown backwards and wobbled around, weakened and dazed, before finally collapsing to the ground. Kate recalled Bellsprout to its Pokéball and frowned.

"Good match," she said.

"Thanks," Nila replied.

As Kate left Nila looked over at Kaida, who was still sulking.

"I could have taken out that Bellsprout with one fiery move," Kaida muttered resentfully. "I would have shown _her _puny."

Nila rolled her eyes. "Do you ever think that that was the _real_ reason she challenged me? She saw I had a Chikorita and you had a Cyndaquil. Honestly, Kaida, use those few brain cells you have before you lose them."

"Oi!" Kaida objected. Then she was back to being confused. "What did you mean about my honour…?"

Nila raised her eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "Forget it. Come on." They walked to the next flight of stairs. "Let's go and explore some more. Maybe there will be a wild Bellsprout. I'm sure you'll jump at the chance to catch one."

Kaida shoved Nila so hard she almost fell down the stairs.

Hah, puny. She'd show that stupid Kate. And Nila too, for laughing. She wasn't short, she was just vertically challenged. One day she would be twice the height of _everyone_! That would show them all!

They climbed up the tower and engaged in a few more battles. Cyndaquil beat a Sentret and ended up at stalemate with a Kakuna. It had such an amazing defence that Cyndaquil did virtually no damage, even with the bug's weakness of fire, but Kakuna didn't have attacking moves to harm Chikorita either. Kaida eyed the trainer oddly as they parted. How that Kakuna had not evolved yet was beyond her. It was incredibly powerful.

Chikorita beat a Hoppip but lost to a Pidgey. The battle probably could have continued until either Pidgey or Chikorita – most likely the latter – was unconscious but Nila called it quits. She didn't want Chikorita needlessly knocked out. They had a fair bit of the tower to see.

Light was dwindling when they walked back down the tower. Kaida yawned heavily. Nila had started to complain about needing her sleep.

"Yeah, with your looks you need plenty of it," Kaida jibed.

Nila gave her a flat look. Kaida shrunk away. Tired Nila was scary Nila. She either got bizarrely hyper – which was ten kinds of creepy – or extremely grouchy. The latter was the most common and normally meant she attempted to kill people. This was bad.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Kaida noticed something. An eerie purple glow… She spun and saw nothing.

"Did you see that?" Kaida demanded, tugging Nila's sleeve.

"No," Nila replied. She continued walking.

Kaida looked around once more. She sighed and was about to follow Nila before she saw it again! She dashed forwards and tugged harder on Nila's sleeve.

"I really did see something," Kaida squeaked.

Embarrassingly, she was a little scared. In her defence, the tower was extremely creepy. Maybe even creepier than Nila hyper. It swayed and creaked ominously, and now, apart from that, it was silent, with only a few trainers and priests remaining in it and none of those on the same floor as them. Cyndaquil pressed closer to Kaida's leg. It was nervous too. Even the unruffled Chikorita was looking around, apparently trying to spot something that was just out of sight.

And there it was again. Purple! This time it had a face. Kaida inhaled sharply.

"It's a Gastly, moron," Nila said.

"Oh," Kaida said, suddenly remembering the ghost type Pokémon.

It seemed to be able to hear its name as it floated out of the wall towards her.

"I want one," Kaida decided randomly.

Nila gave her a weird look but nodded. She moved out the way.

"Remember Tackle is useless," she said.

"I know," Kaida said. "I'm not _stupid_. Cyndaquil, Ember."

Nothing happened.

Kaida looked down at her leg. Cyndaquil was pressing against it and looked to have no intention of moving. Aaw, it was scared.

"Come on, Cyndaquil, be brave. It's only a Pokémon. Ember!"

Cyndaquil looked more determined now. It pulled away from Kaida's leg and the flames shot out of its back. It opened its mouth and sent out the tiny, but powerful, sparks of fire.

Gastly seemed to shimmer out of reality. It reappeared behind Kaida.

"Behind you," said Nila, sounding bored on the sideline.

Kaida and Cyndaquil spun. Gastly smirked and disappeared again. Kaida whirled around and the Gastly reappeared where it had been before. Its tongue lolled from its mouth before it shimmered from existence. Kaida cursed. The Gastly seemed to laugh as it reappeared beside her. She leapt backwards, shocked.

"Try and hit it with Ember," Kaida said to Cyndaquil, "but don't tire yourself out."

Frustratingly, Gastly seemed to enjoy toying with Cyndaquil and Kaida and didn't want to face them in direct battle. Kaida thought hard. How was she going to flush Gastly out?

Then, suddenly, Gastly appeared and the air around it shimmered. It washed over Cyndaquil, who cried out. That had to be… Night Shade? Well that meant they had to step up their game. Now Cyndaquil was getting hurt as well.

"Use Ember," Kaida ordered, "but fire it all around you."

Cyndaquil seemed to think for a moment before attempting to do it. Little balls of fire flew across the room but they were a little patchy and the Gastly merely appeared in the gaps, smirking. Cyndaquil puffed and Kaida realised that the move had tired it out.

"Great," she muttered.

But then Cyndaquil was up again. It dodged the shimmering air when Gastly returned with another Night Shade attack, and dodged when Gastly appeared near it, tongue out for a Lick Attack. Then, Cyndaquil spun into a ball of rolling fire, moving, completely aflame, and catching Gastly off guard. Before the Gastly could recover Cyndaquil used Ember again and the Gastly was weakened further. Now, Kaida realised, it was time for her to act. She threw the Pokéball and watched Gastly sucked inside it. The Pokéball clattered to the ground and began to flash. She watched expectantly as the Pokéball shuddered violently but, eventually, it stopped flashing. She had caught her Gastly.

For her triumph, Kaida received a long, slow clapping from Nila.

"Don't be all sarcastic," she said crossly. "I just caught my first Pokémon. I don't see _you_ with any Pokémon apart from Chikorita."

"I wasn't being sarcastic," Nila said. "I'm hungry. We need to go to Plum's and get dinner."

Kaida ignored her and began to pet Cyndaquil – flames now extinguished – and congratulate it on its triumph. Cute and powerful. Her favourite combination.

"And you _do _realise Cyndaquil just learned a new move, don't you?" Nila said.

"It did?" Kaida said. She had been too caught up with the victory. She thought back. "Oh yeah. That had to be… Flame Wheel!"

She cooed at Cyndaquil some more.

Nila groaned. "Come _on_."

Kaida looked up. Both Nila and Chikorita were wearing their grumpy faces. It was funny how they resembled each other.

"I'm _hungry_. We're leaving now. Well done. Let's go."

Kaida laughed and scooped up Cyndaquil and her newly captured Gastly. She couldn't wait to start training it in the morning. A sneaky ghost type. It had to learn some kind of awesome fire move. She'd ask her mother… As for now… Dinner did sound good.

"I wonder where Flo went," Kaida mused as they left the tower.

"As long as she's stopped trying to use _street talk _or whatever that was," Nila said. "It was embarrassing."

"And John," Kaida said. "He went fishing. Wonder if he caught something cool."

Nila shrugged. "Well, we'd find out sooner if you walked a bit faster."

Kaida scowled. She shoved Nila. Caught off guard, the taller girl fell into the bushes. Kaida blinked. She hadn't expected _that _to happen. Oops. Now she needed to run before an angry Nila beat her up. She was crabby and without food… Yeah, she'd be mad.

"That's for calling me puny!" Kaida yelled.

She sprinted off, leaving Nila to pick the leaves out of her hair.

-

When they returned to Flo's house, there was a small girl there who hadn't been there before. She looked quite a bit like Flo, with the same light brown hair, but she had pale blue eyes. These eyes narrowed as soon as she saw Kaida and Nila walking through the door.

"Who are they?" she demanded in a churlish tone.

"I told you!" Flo said. "My new friends."

"Let's not just go throwing the 'f' word around," Nila muttered.

Kaida laughed. "Who's this?"

"_This_," Flo said, gesturing to the small girl, "is Bryony. She's my cousin. On Mum's side."

The little girl regarded them sullenly. As she did, a small Pokémon bounced behind her. Its body was yellow with dark stripes and it had two little green leaves on top of its head and, while Kaida didn't know much about Sunkern, she did think it was a bit more rotund than normal. It regarded them with its dark, button eyes. Then, without warning, it burst into tears. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears. How could such a small, innocent looking Pokémon make such a _terrible_ noise?

"You scared it!" Bryony accused.

"We didn't do anything!" Kaida protested. Cyndaquil rolled around on the floor next to her, in some pain. Chikorita tried to tuck its head underneath its body.

"Aaah, stop," Flo yelped.

Flo dashed around the kitchen until she found some small food pellets. She dropped them next to the Sunkern and, instantly, it stopped crying to gobble them up. Once it had finished, it gurgled happily and rubbed against Bryony's leg. Kaida raised her eyebrows. That was one spoilt, cry-baby Pokémon then. No wonder it was a bit podgy...

"Mum's gonna get annoyed," Flo said to Bryony. "She said not to feed it anymore. You've got to stop it doing that."

Bryony poked her tongue out. "No," she said. "Can't make me. Macy feeds it."

A dark expression crossed Flo's face. They had never seen her look so menacing. "I don't care what _Macy _does," she snapped.

"You should," Bryony jeered, pulling another face up at her cousin. "She's a better cousin than you. And a better Pokémon trainer!"

"No she's not!" Flo cried.

Bryony knew she had struck gold and continued to taunt Flo. "She's gonna win the Bellsprout Dance-Off!"

"Who's Macy?" Kaida asked, just before Flo exploded with rage.

"She's my other cousin," Bryony piped up.

"Yeah, that's not helpful," Kaida said dismissively. She looked at Flo, who was still seething.

Bryony scowled at Kaida and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't like you."

"I don't care," Kaida replied. She prodded Flo. "Flo?"

"That… That _witch_ is that orange haired girl from Sprout Tower," Flo raged. "I hate her!"

Oh, Kaida thought, it was the pigtails girl. So they were talking about the girl who Flo had tried – and failed – to trash talk.

"You're cousins," Kaida said. "That's weird."

Families in dispute over a Bellsprout competition. They clearly took everything a little too seriously. She told Flo this.

"It's a very serious competition!" Flo ranted. "The honour, the prestige…"

Kaida and Nila raised their eyebrows. Er, right.

"And she's _not _related to me," Flo continued. "She's just related to her. My mother is the sister of her–" she jerked a finger at Bryony "–father. Then Bryony's mother is the sister of Macy's mother. So we're not related at all! Not by blood!"

"But Macy's father's cousin is your Uncle," Bryony added.

"In law!" Flo screeched. "He's uncle-in-law. Still not related!"

"What about Macy's nephew…"

Kaida was practically cross-eyed at this point. Was everyone related to everyone in Violet City? It was making her feel queasy. Perhaps that was why they were all so crazy: they needed a bit of fresh blood in the family.

"Still not related!" Flo insisted.

Kaida couldn't put up with the cousins screeching for much longer so she grabbed the Pokéball at her waist and declared, "I caught a new Pokémon!" With that, she released Gastly.

Gastly zoomed out of the Pokéball, looking most confused. Then it cackled and dove towards Bryony, Flo, and Sunkern, with a gruesome expression on its face. Flo and Bryony shrieked but it was nothing compared to the reaction of Sunkern, who wailed dramatically before zooming off faster than Kaida would ever have guessed it could bounce. It sped past Nila, Kaida, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita and was out the door – which was still ajar – in a flash.

"Sunkern!" Bryony gasped. She raced after it.

"Bad Gastly," Kaida said, although she was actually very amused by the reactions.

Gastly spun around to face her.

"So," Kaida said, dragging out the word as she thought of what to say. "As long as you don't hurt anyone, feel free to creep them out. And you'll need to do some battling with me. That sound fair?"

Gastly swooped back at Flo and pulled another face. Even though it was a less of a surprise, Flo still screamed. They were interrupted when Bryony burst back through the door in tears.

"I can't find Sunkern!" The watery eyes turned into a glare as Bryony turned to Kaida. "This is _your_ fault. I hate you!"

Kaida sighed. What a bratty child. "Relax," she said. "We'll find Sunkern. I'm sure it didn't go far."

Kaida returned Gastly to its Pokéball because when they found Sunkern they didn't want the little cry-baby to run away again. They walked out of the house and spread out in different directions to look for Sunkern. Kaida was sure it hadn't gone far. She tried to get Cyndaquil to track its trail but stopped when she heard a small scream.

"Sunkern!"

Kaida hurried in the direction of Bryony's voice and she and Nila ended up at a tall, gnarly tree at the same time. Flo puffed in a few seconds later. They all followed Bryony's finger, which was pointing upwards, to see Sunkern had, amazingly, managed to bolt up the tree. It was sat fairly high up and was quivering with fear.

"Sunkern is scared of heights," Bryony cried.

Then why did it climb up the tree then? Kaida decided not to voice her thoughts but, really, it was a pretty stupid Pokémon to do that. She blamed the trainer. Bryony did seem quite annoying so far, even if it was funny to see Flo riled up.

"Jump down," Nila told the Sunkern. "We'll catch you."

Sunkern only pressed itself harder against the trunk of the tree. Nope, it wasn't going to listen to reason then.

"How did it even get up there?" Kaida wondered, inspecting the trunk. There didn't seem to be any feasible way for them to climb up and get it down. "Do you have a ladder?" she asked Flo. When Flo shook her head, Kaida groaned. They were going to have to call the fire brigade or something.

Their problem was made worse a second later when, out of a hole in the trunk a few metres above Sunkern, a Noctowl stuck its head out. The bird Pokémon climbed onto the branch and several little Hoothoot poked their heads out after it. The Noctowl ushered them back in. It was a mother and children and the Noctowl did _not_ looked impressed at the commotion. It flapped its wings and soared towards Sunkern, who it did not want in its tree near its babies.

"Jump," Nila urged.

But Sunkern wouldn't. Despite the threat of an angry Noctowl, it still pressed itself up against the trunk and refused to move. Noctowl pecked it and Sunkern wailed but it still wouldn't jump.

"Sunkern!" Bryony said. Tears welled in her eyes.

Great, Kaida thought, now they had _another_ crier. It was bad enough listening to the Sunkern! She didn't want to have to put up with Bryony too! Noctowl pecked the small, grass Pokémon again and Sunkern's wailing became louder.

"Urgh," Nila said, wincing. She was equally annoyed by the sound. She backed off away from the tree so she had a better view of Sunkern. "Flo, Kaida, Bryony, get under the branch and get ready to catch it. Chikorita, get ready to use Razor Leaf on Sunkern."

"On Sunkern?!" Bryony yelled. "What about on Noctowl?!"

"I don't want to make it any angrier," Nila said. It was not a good idea to irritate a protective mother. "Besides, it wouldn't help getting Sunkern out of the tree, would it?"

Bryony continued to object but Nila ignore her, ordering Chikorita to fire away. The first leaf hit the tree but the second hit Sunkern in the side and the third followed to smack the Pokémon on the forehead. Sunkern toppled and plummeted towards the ground.

Flo yelped. Bryony screamed. Kaida glared at their horrible, high pitched noises.

The three all stretched their arms out and, to everyone's surprise, Flo was the one the one to catch it. She was as equally shocked as everyone else, which was shown when she promptly dropped the Sunkern. Sunkern started to cry as it hit the ground but a drop of a metre was highly preferable – and less damaging – than a drop of several metres from the branch above.

"Sunkern!" Bryony said, scooping the Pokémon up. "You're OK!" She rubbed its head gently as it continued to wail loudly. "Poor little Sunkern. I'm gonna give you lots of treats to make you better." Sunkern stopped the racket and sniffled hopefully. "There you go," Bryony cooed. "Come on, let's go get them."

She carried Sunkern off.

"Wait, she's gonna feed it all the nice food!" Flo realised. She chased after her cousin.

Nila and Kaida looked up at the tree. Noctowl preened its feathers and then flapped back to its nest. They then looked at each other and started to walk back to Flo's house very, very slowly. Thankfully, when they finally returned, Bryony and her Sunkern were long gone.


	6. Chapter 6: rivals and cave adventures

**6. Rivals and cave time adventures**

John had returned from his fishing trip without anymore Pokémon but with a few stories about his successful battling with Totodile and Hoothoot. Totodile had quickly mastered water moves and Hoothoot, as it turned out, was extremely apt at Hypnosis. Nila muttered something about hating those irritating sleeping moves. Kaida agreed.

"My Bellsprout knows Sleep Power," Flo said, "and Poison Powder. I don't know whether it is worth teaching it Stun Spore… It knows Vine Whip and Growth so…"

"Anyway," John said. "I went for a long walk and found this cave. I was going to go and investigate it but it was getting late. We can go tomorrow? I have spare torches." He grinned. "Imagine what kind of freaky Pokémon will be that cave."

Kaida and Nila looked at him oddly. John and his weird Pokémon… They looked over to see Totodile dancing around the living room. The craziness was self explanatory.

"Yeah, the cave sounds OK," Kaida agreed.

Flo looked doubtful. "Ugh, caves? Dark, slimy places. Um, maybe not."

"You realise if we are going to go to Azalea Town we need to go through Union Cave."

"Better that than Dark Cave," Flo said. "That place really needs a Pokémon that knows flash. Torches won't cut it."

"Mine will," John said confidently. He pulled out an enormous torch. "These are extremely powerful. And don't worry! I've got spares and batteries."

The next day they had another filling breakfast and Flo decided to tag along.

Nila smirked. "I see you like that hoodie a lot."

Flo looked down at her dark purple hoodie. Defensively, she cried, "What? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," Nila said, shaking her head. Then, in a quiet voice, she coughed, "Plum."

Kaida elbowed Nila in the side.

It was a gloomy day. Kaida peered up at the clouds with some dismay. Hopefully it wouldn't rain. Luckily, if it didn't, she was prepared.

They were on their way towards the cave when, through the haze, Kaida spotted a burning light. She narrowed her eyes and tracked the glow. Then from the bushes burst a pale Pokémon with a flaming mane and tail. Ponytail. Kaida's eyes widened to saucers.

Ponyta stared at them for a moment and then flicked its tail and dashed off.

"Noo!" Kaida cried.

She started to run after it. She followed it through the bus, snagging her jumper on a bramble, and when she pulled free she saw Ponyta slowing to a halt ahead. Then, to Kaida's immense disappointment, a tall girl walked up to the Ponyta and patted it on the nose. The Ponyta nuzzled her hand. It looked like this was Ponyta's trainer.

"Hi," the girl said. "I'm Gwen. Who are you?"

"I'm Kaida," Kaida replied. "Your Ponyta is gorgeous."

"Thanks," the girl beamed. "I know." She petted the Ponyta again and then looked back to Kaida. "I brush it everyday." She paused. "Are you a trainer?"

"Yeah," Kaida said, walking a little closer. "I just started." She hesitated. "Can I pet it?"

"Sure," the girl said, stepping aside.

Kaida stroked the Ponyta's face. It was adorable. She couldn't wait to get one.

"Where did you get it?" she asked.

"Oh, my Dad lives in Kanto. I got it over there when I was visiting him," Gwen said.

Kaida sighed. It didn't look like she'd be getting any tips as to where to catch them in Johto then.

"I love Ponyta," Kaida said.

"I can see," Gwen said, amused.

"And fire Pokémon."

"Yeah, your Cyndaquil is cute."

Cyndaquil looked towards the person who had complimented it. It hid bashfully behind Kaida's leg, peeking out shyly.

Voices sounded behind Kaida and she turned to see Nila, John, and Flo walking up. Nila's Chikorita was trying to get away from Kaida's Totodile, which appeared to be trying to chase it around and persuade Chikorita into participating in a game of tag. Chikorita didn't seem too thrilled by this prospect.

"Hey, are these yours friends?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Kaida said, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Gwen," Gwen said, smiling genuinely.

John smiled, Flo waved, and Nila nodded.

"Anyway, you have to brush them everyday if you want them to look glossy," Gwen told Kaida. "It doesn't have to be a full brush though. You can do one of those every few days."

Nila snorted.

Gwen turned on her. "What?"

"Nothing," Nila said, in the tone that suggested this was a complete lie.

Kaida narrowed her eyes.

"Do you not take proper care of your Chikorita?" Gwen asked.

"I take perfectly good care of my Chikorita," Nila said evenly.

"You have to brush Chikorita too," Gwen said.

Nila folded her arms across her chest. "It can survive in the wild without pampering."

"Yeah, but it isn't in the wild," Gwen said. "You could survive in the wild, but it wouldn't be very nice."

Nila smirked. It was the special kind of smirk that she got when she'd found someone she considered almost an equal and was sort of interested in them. Kaida became worried. Some people reacted well to the subsequent events. Some did not. Normally it was the latter case and Nila made an enemy.

"There is a line between _nice_ and _spoilt,_" Nila pointed out. "To be honest your Ponyta just looks like a puffed up mannequin. Only good for posing."

Ponyta snorted and ground its foot into the ground. Gwen frowned.

"I'm going to be a Pokémon Ranger," she said. "There is a _lot _more to Ponyta than posing."

"Really," Nila said, her lip curving upwards. "Prove it."

"Gladly," Gwen said, grinning quite deviously back.

Kaida was a little shocked. She hadn't expected this kind of competition from the seemingly sweet girl who had let her pet her Ponyta. Then again, Kaida had been nice to her. Nila had not. Still, Gwen was definitely smart if she could figure out Nila. Perhaps a little competition wouldn't be so bad after all. Although…

"Nila, are you sure this is a good idea?!" Kaida hissed. "She had the type advantage and I think she's had that Ponyta a while. It is pretty strong!"

Nila shrugged. "Chikorita could do with the training."

"I think it might get stomped on and smashed to a pulp," Kaida whispered.

"It's an unfortunate learning curve," Nila said.

Kaida blinked, shocked.

Nila made an exasperated sound and rolled her eyes at Kaida. She said irritably, "I won't let it go that far. I'm not _that _cruel."

"Oh. OK. Sorry."

Kaida retreated to the sidelines with John and Flo.

"Bellsprout should definitely watch this," Flo said, sending her plant Pokémon out of its Pokéball.

It appeared in a flash of light and wiggled around in confusion.

"Watch this, Bellsprout. They're going to have a battle," Flo narrated. "Chikorita versus Ponyta, which, to be honest, is a little bit crazy of Nila… " Flo coughed. "But, eh, she doesn't really seem all there most of the time."

"Most of the time," Kaida muttered. "All of the time."

Nila and Gwen were setting the rules. One on one. No excessive injuries. Kaida drowned them out after this. She turned back in as they took their positions opposite each other. Gwen looked confident. Nila looked pensive.

"Ponyta is quick," Nila said to Chikorita," but you're smaller. You can get underfoot. This would be better if you knew Vine Whip to wrap those legs up in, but you don't. You can't afford to get hit by any fire move. So get underneath that thing and confuse the hell out of it. Hit the legs and face with your leaves."

Chikorita nodded determinedly.

"Go, Ponyta! Ember!"

Fire spread towards Chikorita, who leapt backwards swiftly. Then it dodged to one side and sent a volley of Razor Leaf in Ponyta's direction.

"Burn it," Gwen commanded.

Ponyta blew hot flames towards the leaves. They shrivelled up into wisps of smoke.

"Remember the plan," Nila said.

Chikorita looked at its trainer quickly before dodging another Ember attack. Then it ran forwards and darted behind stones, using the natural habitat to hide from Ponyta's flames. Once Ponyta was close enough, Chikorita leapt underneath it and sent a volley of leaves towards Ponyta's legs. It was enough to make Ponyta stumble as its back legs gave way.

"Ponyta, use stomp!" Gwen commanded.

"Dodge, Chikorita," Nila ordered.

Chikorita dodged the lashing feet and sent another wave of Razor Leaf at Ponyta's front legs. Ponyta's tail lashed out but it could not reach Chikorita.

"Collapse!" Gwen ordered.

Nila looked on with surprise – and a little respect – in her eyes as the Ponyta dropped down to the ground. Chikorita was forced to jump backwards and, in doing so, revealed itself.

"Ember!"

Chikorita's back legs were singed by the attack. It darted behind another rock to hide from another blast. Then it hid behind some bushes. Ponyta sent another wave of fire at them and they caught alight.

"Chikorita, send the Razor Leaf attacks low. The ankles," Nila ordered.

Chikorita flicked its head and sent further volleys. Some Ponyta managed to burn. Others hit and sliced its legs painfully.

"Impressive," Gwen said. "But that still isn't going to be good enough. Ponyta! Use Fire Spin!"

Kaida thought she heard Nila swear.

Both Chikorita and the bush were swept into a vortex of flame.

"Try to create wind with your leaves!" Nila shouted. "Disperse it!"

Chikorita was trying but it wasn't powerful enough. It fought through the vortex but emerged burnt and charred and severely weakened.

There was a tiny frown on Nila's face.

"Keep trying, Chikorita," Nila said. "Remember, dodge!"

Chikorita was looking a little shaky now. Still, it managed to dodge several more flame attacks. It managed to send a few more volleys to Ponyta's feet, even bringing its legs down again.

"Fire Spin!"

"The rock!"

The Chikorita managed to shield itself from the worst of the attack but was still being burnt. It cried out. When the fire dissipated, Nila stepped forwards.

"That is enough," she said.

Gwen nodded in agreement. She rushed forwards to check her Ponyta's injuries. Kaida noticed it limped towards her. Chikorita had done a lot of damage to its legs.

Once Gwen had finished checking Ponyta over she turned it to its Pokéball and then said, to Nila, "I win then."

"This time," Nila said. "Next time I'll have more Pokémon. I won't lose again."

"We'll see," Gwen said.

She turned and smiled at the others.

"Well, I have to go. My mentor is waiting. Ranger duties and all. Maybe I'll see you all around!" She paused. "Oh, wait, the fire."

One of the bushes was smouldering gently. A Pokémon Ranger couldn't exactly leave that.

"I've got it," John said, ordering Totodile forwards. "Water Gun!"

"Thanks," Gwen said. "Uh… Bye!"

Nila scooped up her Chikorita as Totodile extinguished the lingering flames. She set Chikorita down and began to rummage through her back. She pulled out a burn heal and salve and began to gently apply it to her Pokémon.

"I need a bit of water," she told Totodile.

When Totodile drew himself back for a blast, John hurried to intercede.

"A dribble, gently," John said. "Control, remember?"

Totodile looked put out. Sending out little spurts of water was apparently not as fun. Still, it obeyed and there was soon a little puddle that Nila could use to cool Chikorita down.

"Most of the wounds are superficial," she noted.

"Are you going to be all right to go to the cave?" John asked. "We can go back."

Chikorita was already struggling to its feet now the burn salve had been applied.

Nila eyed her Pokémon cautiously.

"It'll be fine," Nila decided. "As long as Chikorita doesn't over exert... Guess I'll have to rely on you losers for protection." She flashed them a grin.

"Thanks," Kaida said, sighing. Typical Nila.

"And I'll carry Chikorita until then," Nila said.

Chikorita didn't like this plan very much. They continued to make their way to the cave and Kaida marvelled at Chikorita's remarkable powers of recovery. Soon it was struggling and wriggling and Nila allowed it to walk again, although she insisted that everyone slow down a little. Soon though, Chikorita grew irritated with this and insisted on scrambling ahead until they picked up the pace.

The group trundled on the "short" walk to the cave that John had described. Short was not what Nila would have used to describe it. She had been glaring daggers into John's back for the last half an hour.

"OK, we are here," John said proudly.

He started to rummage in his bag for the torches.

"And it only took two more hours to get here," Nila said.

Chikorita had been hurt. She had only agreed to continue to the cave because she thought it wasn't that far away. Clearly John had underestimated it significantly. Nila looked to Kaida for agreement but Kaida had already sunk onto a rock looking distinctly tired. Cyndaquil hopped around on the ground beside her, exploring the area but making sure to stay close to Kaida. It had grown very fond of her very quickly and had taken it upon itself to protect her from any harm.

Nila looked to her Chikorita who was sunbathing in the only patch of sun in the clearing. She could almost swear it was shining. The burns were almost completely gone and Nila wasn't convinced that this was because of her burn salve. Perhaps, Nila mused…

Totodile was dancing around like a maniac nearby, looking under rocks and patches of thick grass as if it expected to find something shiny.

"Is that all you ever do?" Nila muttered.

John pressed one of his large torches into her hand.

"Come on Miss Grumpy Gills, time to explore," John said, grinning creepily at her.

"Umm... OK?"

Nila grabbed the torch and went over to Kaida who was still flopped on the rock while Flo chased her Cyndaquil trying to cuddle the very life out of it.

"Come on," Nila said. "The freaky tall boy says it's time to explore."

"But I don't wanna," Kaida grumbled.

"Do you want to tell that to Mr. Creepy Face," Nila asked, "because I would rather face whatever hell lies in there than see that smile again."

Nila shuddered at the thought.

"It can't be that bad," Kaida said, standing up and taking the torch that Nila was holding out for her. She continued, "I've known you for like forever and I know you can pull off some seriously crazy faces."

At that moment a spine tingling laugh echoed throughout the clearing. Nila turned to see that it was coming directly form John who was fast approaching them.

"Have mercy!" she screamed. "I don't like it! It burns!"

"Burns what?" Kaida asked.

"What doesn't it burn?!" Nila retorted.

With that, she ran off into the darkness of the cave with her Chikorita, who trotted behind her, looking bemused. Flo blinked at Nila's unusual outburst and turned to Kaida who had just been joined by John.

"Hey don't look at me," Kaida said defensively. "It's not my fault that my best friend is a lunatic."

John shrugged and began to follow Nila into the cave.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," Kaida called. "It's time to go save Nila from the demon laugh."

"Cynda," the little creature stated, as it was lifted back on Kaida's shoulder.

As she entered the cave Kaida could see John's light up ahead and turned on her own torch.

"Ouch! That's bright!" she moaned.

Flo came to stand beside her.

"I HATE caves," Flo said, shuddering.

Flo pulled her arms tighter around herself.

"Well I can't say they are my favourite spot," Kaida said with a shrug, "but, hey, live with it, or face the frying pan!"

Flo gave her a worried look.

"Ask Hoothoot," Kaida said conspiratorially. "He knows."

She tapped her nose at Flo as she continued walking, leaving a bewildered Flo to catch up. As the pair caught up to the light, they saw that it wasn't John's, but an old fashioned lantern hung on the wall.

"Hmm. They couldn't have gone that far ahead," Kaida mused, rounding a corner.

"What if we get lost?" Flo trembled. "I'm scared"

Kaida shook her head in annoyance.

"There is only one path to follow. Now pull yourself together and keep close."

Flo nodded and clung to the strap of Kaida's bag. They rounded another corner to find a big problem.

"Oh damn it all to Lugia," Kaida growled.

Before them stood three different paths and each looked more ominous then the last.

"We are gonna die!" Flo screeched

"Shut up," Kaida commanded, "or you are going to wake up the whole cave if you keep that pitch up."

"Wake up? Wake up what?" Flo demanded, panicked.

Flo gripped Kaida's bag tighter, causing Cyndaquil to sway violently on her shoulder.

"I dunno," Kaida said noncommittally. "Er, a Snorlax maybe. Maybe a Gligar if we are lucky and maybe..."

"If we are lucky?" Flo repeated. "How would we be lucky to see those?!"

Her voice was growing higher in pitch by the second. Pretty soon Kaida was sure that her voice would be beyond the range of human ears. Perhaps it would wake up some Zubat. They could pick up those super high frequencies.

In response to Flo's question, Kaida responded simply, "Because they are awesome Pokémon!" She cleared her throat. "Now, come on, we have to chose a path. All right here we go. Hop, Skip -"

"What are you doing?" Flo asked, confused

"Hop to tuff," Kaida asked condescendingly. "Well," she added, fairly patronisingly, "unless you have a better idea…"

She glared over the shoulder that wasn't burdened with the weight of Cyndaquil. Flo shook her head and Kaida continued. Pointing to a different path every word, she said, "Hop, Skip, Jum-pluff! Iggly, Jiggly, Wigglytuff!" Her finger landed on the middle path.

"Right then," Kaida decided. "The middle path it is!"

Kaida bounced on through with Cyndaquil still bobbing up and down on her shoulder and Flo clinging on for dear life to her bag. After a few minutes of walking down a tunnel they came out into a more open cave. The damp walls seemed to sparkle in the torchlight.

"Wow. It's so pretty," Flo murmured.

She seemed astounded that there could be beauty in caves. Kaida wondered where she thought precious stones and metals were generally found.

"Indeed," Kaida said, nodding, "but where are Nila and John?"

"Spaaaaa!"

A strange voice echoed around the cave

"Oh. My. God. WHAT WAS THAT?!" Flo screamed.

"Shush and let me listen."

Kaida tried to get closer to what she thought was the source but Flo was pulling her backwards. Finally, she spun, irritated.

"Would you just let go?! It's probably just a Pokémon!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Flo shouted.

Flo suddenly stopped pulling.

"I can't feel any floor behind us," she squeaked.

"Then don't move!"

Kaida brought the torch up to her face and stared out into the cave. She could see a dark lump on the opposite side and pointed her light directly at it. It was a big mistake. A large mass of Pokémon jumped up and headed straight for them. Flo started to panic and stumbled backwards. Kaida had no time to realise this though as she was head butted by one of the swarming Pokémon. The torch flew from her hand as she stumbled backward. As Flo had pointed out, there was no ground left, and so Kaida tumbled back into the cold waters of a pool she had not seen on first entrance. It wasn't deep, as her butt soon made contact with the rocky pool bottom. She winched and struggled to break the surface of the water. As her head cleared the disgusting water, her ears were filled with Flo's screams of being wet.

"You always seem to fall on your arse when I'm not around!" a voice mused from the bank.

Nila stood with Cyndaquil at her feet. It was jumping up and down looking extremely concerned about its trainer.

"Yeah, yeah. Ha, ha. Kaida's wet! Laugh it up!"

Kaida pulled herself to her feet and waded to the bank. John leant down and offered a hand to help pull her out.

"Laugh it up? Oh, I think I will," Nila said, cackling. "You will never live this down, my friend"

"It's not my fault," Kaida practically howled. "If she hadn't pulled me over there–" she pointed at Flo accusingly as Flo, still moaning, flopped over to the pool's bank "–and if that thing hadn't head butted me–" she pointed to the Pokémon lying sprawled a few feet away "–then I would be perfectly dry at this precise moment!"

"No it can not be," John murmured, his eyes widening. "It is," he said reverently. "A Dunsparce!"

He yanked Flo out of the pool, sending her flying across the cave, before running to the unconscious creature.

"Jumping Murkrow, it is!" John repeated.

"Then catch it," Nila said, bored. "Why use your Pokémon when you have Kaida and her iron head?"

"Thanks Nila," Kaida growled, wringing out her top.

"What?" Nila asked innocently. Or, at least, this was the most innocent façade that Nila could produce. She continued, "It's true. That is the second Pokémon that you've knocked unconscious for John to catch. I think we should put you in a Pokéball and say you are our ultimate weapon."

Nila sniggered. Kaida glared.

John wandered back over clutching a Pokéball that they guessed that he had caught Dunsparce with.

"Another beauty for my collection." He grinned.

Flo checked on the egg in her backpack. It appeared to be fine. Then she put the bag on the ground and stepped away from it, pulling her soaking hoodie away from her body.

"Urgh. I'm so wet," Flo moaned.

"So am I," Kaida groused. "What we need is a fire!"

Unfortunately, at these words, Kaida's worried Cyndaquil decided that meant she and Flo needed to be warmed up with an Ember attack.

"Ahh Cyndaquil! No! Stop!" Kaida shouted, trying to dodge the flames.

Cyndaquil paused and hung its head as its owner tried to put out the fire in her hair. Fortunately Nila was ready, since Totodile was doubtless dancing behind some more rocks somewhere, and she dunked Kaida's head back into the pool. Kaida spluttered quite violently as she submerged. Then she caught sight of the sorry Cyndaquil.

"Oh, Cyndaquil, I m sorry!" Kaida cried. "I didn't mean to shout! I know you were just trying to help."

She scooped it up and held it reassuringly.

"Do you think that Kaida's realised that her bum is on fire?" Nila asked John, while Flo jumped on her hoodie to put out the flames.

Nila watched Flo's progress. If the hoodie was destroyed did that mean that she had to stop calling Flo the "Plum" nickname? Nah. Of course not.

"Um," John said, "I think maybe I'll give Kaida a wake up call." He called out, "Totodile."

The water reptile popped up, scurrying to its trainer's side.

"Water Gun!"


	7. Chapter 7: the most annoying girl

**7. Greedy Gyarados, the great wild Mareep chase, and the most annoying girl in the land.**

John woke up promptly at 4.30 and got out of bed. He took a quick ten minute shower, got dressed, ate a wholesome bowl of Weetabix, and wrote a short note explaining his absence. He then set off at a brisk pace, his Totodile leaping excitedly behind him. Over one shoulder was his prized fishing rod. He was definitely going to land a big one.

The water was calm and still as John dipped the end of his fishing rod in. He returned Totodile to its Pokéball – it tended to cause a disturbance and scare off potential catches – and then looked back to the water. Fishing was peaceful. Although he normally preferred long walks over different terrains including forests and mountains, he also liked to sit down and be with nature as well sometimes.

Nothing was biting but John was patient. While he wasn't going to sit there all day, he knew these things took time.

"Hi," a voice said from behind him.

John looked around to see Gwen from the day before. She stood next to her Ponyta, whose fiery mane and tail were ruffled gently by the wind.

"I thought you were leaving," John said.

Gwen sat down next to him. "Yeah, later today. My mentor ran into a bit of trouble." She paused. "I mean, my mentor isn't in trouble. Someone else is. With the police. Long story."

John nodded, twitching his fishing rod a little to the left.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said, "I thought Pokémon Rangers didn't like to use Pokéballs because they thought they were cruel." He pointed to her waist. "Yet, you have some there."

"There are different types of Pokémon Ranger," Gwen replied. "Some are a little more extreme."

She pulled out the Pokémon Ranger device that was used to temporarily take control over Pokémon. It was an odd looking gadget and it was even odder to use.

"A lot of Rangers think capturing Pokémon is all right as long as you don't keep them in the Pokéballs. I other Pokémon apart from Ponyta but I keep them on my Aunt's ranch in Kanto so that they aren't cramped up in Pokéballs."

"Oh, that makes sense," John said. "Because I thought that surely that device is worse than a Pokéball."

Gwen frowned. "How so?"

"You're controlling their _minds_. Their freedom is limited in a Pokéball but they keep their minds. They can disobey. Most trainers won't keep a Pokémon who is that resentful of being captured. I know the device is only temporary but in some ways it is worse than a Pokéball."

"It is only temporary," Gwen replied, "and we don't use it on a whim. We use it to protect people and Pokémon."

"What if the Pokémon you control gets hurt?" John asked.

"We make sure that doesn't happen," Gwen said.

"But what if it does?"

"It shouldn't," Gwen said. She sighed. "We try to do everything we can. We are taught not to use a Pokémon that shouldn't be able to handle the situation."

John absorbed her words. He reeled his line in and then threw it out again.

"Anyway," Gwen said, smiling again, "I didn't come here for philosophical conversation. I came here to say hello and goodbye."

"You like to fish?"

Gwen wrinkled her nose. "Not really. A bit boring."

John smiled back at her. "Most people think that. But who knows? You could end up with something – argh!"

Gwen stood up, alarmed. Something was tugging on John's line and it was unravelling at an enormous speed. It had to be something huge! John tried to grab the handle to stop the line but couldn't. Then the end of the line came and the rod was being wrenched forwards. John clung on – and Gwen tried to help by pulling his arm and adding her weight to the equation – but it was no use. John eventually was forced to let ago and he and Gwen fell backwards onto a heap on the ground.

"My best fishing rod!" John exclaimed.

With an almighty roar a Gyarados leapt from the water, the line trailing from its mouth.

John gaped.

"A Gyarados just _ate _my fishing rod," he said. He was extremely put out.

Gwen looked like she was half horrified and half trying to constrain herself from bursting out laughing at the odd turn of events.

John sighed heavily. He stood up and offered Gwen a hand to help her up. This was not how he envisaged his day going. Eventually he conceded to a few small chuckles with Gwen, but he was still put out.

"You should take my number," Gwen said suddenly. "Then if your friend, Nila, gets any stronger, she can call me and I can beat her again."

"I'll tell her that word for word," John said, amused.

Nila wouldn't like that at all.

"Give me yours too. If we are ever in the same area again then we can meet up, OK?"

John obeyed, giving Gwen his number.

"Cool," Gwen said, snapping her phone shut and putting it away. "Anyway, I have to go. I mean actually leave this time. See you around."

"Bye," John said.

He watched her walk away; her graceful steps made her look as if she was floating beside her Ponyta. Then he turned back to the lake. Damn that Gyarados. Of course he had brought more fishing rods with him but that had been his favourite!

-

South of Violet City was the long route towards Azalea town. Nila left Flo polishing her Pokémon egg in the kitchen, telling her only that she would be back later. Chikorita walked along beside Nila and she found herself striking up a conversation with her Pokémon.

"You're going to learn Synthesis," she said conversationally. "You probably have already. We need to practise. We also need to look for another Pokémon."

Chikorita went from looking smug because it had learnt a new move to being affronted that Nila needed another Pokémon.

"A lot of Pokémon battles are two on two," Nila said. "Besides, we need a team."

Chikorita didn't look happy but it was appeased for the time being.

"So we're looking for Mareep," Nila said. "That's the little electric sheep."

The Pokédex had informed Nila that Mareep could be found around this area and it was fairly common. They apparently liked to graze on the higher land so Nila and Chikorita went up the slopes in search of the small, yellow Pokémon. Fruition

The sun grew hot as Nila climbed further up the grassy slopes. It was becoming rockier too. Chikorita darted along quite merrily, flourishing under the warm sun. So far they had caught no sign of the elusive Mareep, despite the Pokédex claiming that there were many in the area. Nila tapped it on the side.

"You need an update," she told it.

Then suddenly Chikorita sprung away and Nila broke into a run and chased after it. Chikorita had seen something that Nila had not. Now, as she sprinted, Nila could see what they were pursuing. The little yellow blob bobbed nimbly ahead, occasionally turning to see if they were behind it. Nila was extremely glad that she was fairly active otherwise she probably would have collapsed. The thing was _fast_. Nimble and agile, it darted up the slope and around sliding rocks and dust with ease.

Then, suddenly, the Mareep disappeared. Chikorita looked around in confusion but had lost track of the Pokémon. Nila sighed in disappointment. She sat on the largest rock available to get her breath back.

"That thing was evil," Nila said. "It led us up here on purpose."

Chikorita agreed.

"We have to get it," Nila said. "That Mareep would be perfect for our team."

Chikorita continued to agree. It had warmed up to the idea of a partner now that said partner would apparently be intelligent and devious to match.

Nila opened her bag and found some food for Chikorita. She fed her Pokémon while she kept a careful eye on their surroundings. Yes. There it was. The Mareep was staring at them again.

"Hmm, so much food, Chikorita," Nila said loudly. "It is too much for us! And I don't want to carry it down the hill again. It will be ruined. It's so hot." She sighed theatrically. "If only there was someone to share it with."

The Mareep wasn't stupid. It didn't emerge yet. Nila put her hands by her sides – not a Pokéball in sight – and then reached towards the food. She threw it away. Fortunately Chikorita seemed to realise that she was up to something and didn't chase after it and eat it. After a while Nila saw the Mareep poke its head out from behind a tuft of grass cautiously. It sniffed the air and looked towards the food. It was definitely interested.

"Guess we better go then," Nila said.

She patted Chikorita's head and they both stood up. Yes, she was interested in this Mareep. The Mareep was equally interested in them. Excellent. They walked along the slope and a few minutes later, presumably after the Mareep had eaten the food, they saw another flash of yellow. When they didn't follow immediately, the flash came closer.

Mareep wanted them to follow. It liked them chasing it. It found it amusing.

"Up for another run then, Chikorita?" Nila said.

This Mareep was going to be worth it. She just needed to tell herself that. She felt herself tire as the slope became steeper and steeper but she didn't give up. The terrain became more difficult too and Nila puffed as she climbed higher. A lot of the ground was loose and gravelly and, as she followed Mareep over a small ridge, she slipped.

She fell a considerable length, skidding down a short dip in the landscape in a cloud of dust. She felt a sharp pain stab at her ankle and saw it briefly – and impossibly – at almost right angles to her leg. She coughed and spluttered and waved her hand in front of her to try and clear the dust. Something bumped into her from behind. Chikorita had chased after her.

Nila was afraid that she might have hurt her ankle – twisted, even broken it – but when she stood up it seemed to be fine. At first she felt a little lightheaded and wobbly and then, abruptly, she fell over. Shaking her head, disorientated, she stood up and tried again. She stumbled several times before falling backwards again. She decided that it would be best if she stayed down for a minute or two so she could rest. Maybe it had been the adrenaline making her head woozy. She didn't know for sure.

She could feel Chikorita's nervous presence at her side.

"I'm fine," she told her Chikorita. "I just need to lie down for a minute. Then I need to drink some water. We can go again after that."

Chikorita did not seem best pleased. It looked much more relieved when Nila sat up, drank some water, and stood up again. There was no pain or discomfort in her ankle at all. Perhaps she had imagined the funny angle. That was most likely. She also felt much better as she walked. It didn't seem like she was going to fall over again.

The Mareep appeared to be gone. Nila sighed. Great. There was a strong possibility that it had seen the ridiculous fall and had scampered away laughing. It was a bit embarrassing. Perhaps she had lost the tentative respect she had thought she had gained from the Mareep? She hoped not, but since she couldn't see it anymore, this was likely true.

Then there was another flash of yellow and the Mareep reappeared before them. Nila breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't gone. Still, she wasn't sure if she was up to much running. She didn't _think _her ankle was hurt but it probably wasn't a good idea to push it anymore.

Abruptly, Mareep used Thundershock.

"Dodge!" Nila said, jumping out of the way.

Chikorita darted in the other direction. It landed on its feet and, a second later, Mareep slammed into it. That wasn't an ordinary table. That wasn't slam either. That was Body Slam, according to the Pokédex, and according to the research that Nila had done, when deciding she was going to capture Mareep, this was an egg move. One of its parents must have learnt it somehow.

Mareep started to glow. It was using Charge now, readying itself to power its next electrical attack. This Mareep was _powerful._

"Use the time that it is charging to use Synthesis," Nila ordered.

Chikorita was tired from running and it had been hit with a powerful Body Slam. Synthesis could do a lot of good for it.

"Be ready to dodge," Nila continued. "Its next move will be powerful."

The Thundershock was a lot more powerful. The rocks on the ground were charred from its force.

"Razor Leaf!" Nila ordered.

Chikorita sent a fast volley of sharp leaves. Mareep crackled with electricity as it was hit and recoiled harshly. It had done some quite serious damage. Chikorita was getting a lot more powerful too.

"Be careful to avoid physical contact," Nila reminded Chikorita. "Its coat is static after it uses electric moves. It could hurt a lot."

Chikorita nodded and leapt out of the way of the next Body Slam in the nick of time. Mareep skidded across several lose pebbles and then kick up some of the sand, hoping to blind Chikorita temporarily. Chikorita hid behind a clump of dry glass, which shielded it from the worst of the attack.

"Razor Leaf again!" Nila called.

Chikorita leapt out from behind the dried grass to send sharp leaves flying into Mareep. Mareep responded with a Thundershock that hit the mark this time. It wasn't amazingly effective, Chikorita was a grass Pokémon after all, but some damage was done.

"Keep going, Chikorita."

More grass leaves were flying from Chikorita into the Mareep. The Mareep was now moving a bit more shakily. It had to be time. Nila pulled out a Pokéball and threw it towards the electric Pokémon. It was drawn inside the ball and the ball began to roll and flash. Finally, however, it stopped. Mareep had been caught.

"Great job," Nila said to Chikorita.

Chikorita gave her a look that wondered why Nila would have expected anything but that. Chikorita then followed Nila as she went to pick up the Pokéball. The trek had been worth it, Nila decided. This Mareep was powerful. It would be a good addition to the team and extremely useful.

"Come on then," Nila said to Chikorita. She peered down the steep slope. "We better get going. It is a _long_ way down."

-

Kaida stretched as she awoke from her long sleep. Being set on fire and almost drowned in the course of five minutes really wasn't a good thing to do. She moved her hand to find Cyndaquil curled up next to her snoozing peacefully in the sunlight pouring through the window.

"Urgh what time is it?" she mused

She rolled onto her side to read the bedside clock. 8:30am. She also noticed Nila wasn't in her bed and the shower wasn't running.

"This is odd and quite unsettling," Kaida thought aloud.

Cyndaquil sat up from its position and stared intently at Kaida.

"I suppose you want some breakfast then?"

"Cyndaquil. 'Quil," it squeaked happily, bouncing up and down on the mattress.

"Come on then."

Kaida pulled off the Bulbasaur covers and swung her legs down onto the cold wooden floor.

"Cold!" she yelped, withdrawing her feet quickly.

Cyndaquil puffed up at her words ready to warm the floor with a blast of its Ember.

"No, no, no, sweetie," Kaida cooed. "We shouldn't set fire to Flo's, um, _lovely_ house and its, er, well, unusual decorating."

She eyed the Goldeen rug with disgust. Her true enemy. Water Pokémon.

After a quick change into her three quarter length jeans, plain black t-shirt, and her Magmar socks, Kaida rushed downstairs with Cyndaquil balancing on the top of her head. Flo looked up to the sound of her crashing footsteps.

"Where is everyone?" Kaida asked, puzzled.

She placed Cyndaquil on the kitchen table next to Flo's egg. It sniffed it before deciding it didn't look like a hearty meal and turned back to Kaida who was pouring 'Pokémon Chow' into its personalised bowl. Nila had bought the bowl at the PokéMart when Kaida was showing her black hole ability to Matt. It was black with flames along the side. A perfect bowl, Kaida had thought.

"John went off at five this morning according to a note I found when I got down here. Apparently," Flo recited, looking at the paper in her hand, "that adventure yesterday wasn't enough so he's gone fishing this morning and then says he's going back to the cave afterwards."

Kaida placed the bowl down. Cyndaquil bounded over and started to gobble up the contents of the bowl. Kaida chuckled and reached for one of the spare, boring bowls on the side for Gastly.

"And Nila has gone off somewhere," Flo continued. "She said that she would be back later. So I guess it's just you and me today. Do you want some bacon and eggs?" she asked, smiling as she shuffled over to the stove.

"Er, yeah, please," Kaida said, sighing.

In her mind, however, she was thinking if Flo got her soaked again then she may just murder someone. She placed the other bowl on the table as Flo put down the plate of eggs and bacon at a seat in front of Cyndaquil, who eyed the plated excitedly.

"Come on, Gastly. Out you come."

Kaida threw the Pokéball and flopped into a chair as Gastly appeared in a flash of light.

"Eat up!"

She pointed to the bowl on the table. Gastly looked delighted and used its tongue to scoop up the bowl.

"Don't swallow the bowl. It's not healthy," Kaida reprimanded as she took a huge bite of bacon.

"Gast', Gast'," it replied, shocked.

"Cynda, Cyndaquil," Cyndaquil argued to Flo and Kaida's surprise.

Gastly spat out the bowl, sending it flying across the room where it hit Bellsprout, who was practicing its dancing.

"Noo, Bellsprout," Flo screamed, jumping off her chair and gathering the concussed Pokémon into her arms.

"Wow, nice shot," Kaida laughed

"Gastly, Gaaaaast." the creature grinned.

Kaida felt so proud of both her Pokémon in that moment: both were talking to each other and Gastly was cute and powerful, while Cyndaquil was cute and... It was eating her breakfast.

"CYNDAQUIL!!!"

After the breakfast incident, Kaida had decided to help Flo in her mission to catch another Pokémon. Considering that it was her fault that Flo's Bellsprout was out of action, she felt it her duty to help her catch at least one decent Pokémon. They had decided to try their luck on route thirty-six for that day. Kaida figured that John and Nila wouldn't be back until around dinner, so had packed her bag with food for a picnic lunch that hopefully Cyndaquil wouldn't steal this time. As they wandered through the town, Flo tried to teach Kaida about berries and their various forms, and then how she would create Poffins with them so that her Pokémon would increase in beauty and coolness so that she could win contests all over the regions. Kaida had turned off by this point. She found contests very boring and pointless. Pokémon battles. Now they were another story. She drifted off into a daydream of her ultimate fire team crushing anyone that called her puny. She was brought back to reality, however, when Flo poked her in the ribs.

"What do you aim to be then, while I become contest queen?"

Flo twirled on the spot as if to show she already had the moves to become a queen.

"Well." Kaida smiled slightly. "I want to be the ultimate fire Pokémon trainer, have my own gym and crush anyone who dares to challenge me."

"Sounds about right," Flo chuckled, having witnessed Kaida cooing over Cyndaquil for the last few days, she wasn't surprised. "So what's your dream Pokémon?"

"You want me to choose?!" Kaida looked flabbergasted. "There are so many!"

"OK. Name a few of your favourites then."

"Well, Cyndaquil of course," Kaida began.

The creature at her feet chirped delightedly.

"Typhlosion is also amazing, as are Rapidash and Flareon. Flareon… It's so cute and fluffy!" Kaida imitated cuddling it before she was coughed at to move on by Flo. "Erm yeah," Kaida continued. "Well, Magmar is another and, of course, Arcanine and Ninetales..."

"Have you seen any of these apart from Cyndaquil?" Flo raised an eyebrow patronisingly.

"Yes," Kaida growled, annoyed. "My mum owns most of them. She's a great fire Pokémon trainer – don't you know this – and, besides, I met that Ponyta yesterday and a Growlithe a few days before that!"

She held her head high in success, which both Cyndaquil, and Gastly, who was floating next to her, tried to copy.

"Who had the Growlithe?" Flo questioned.

"Oh, erm, just a guy," Kaida said, trying to avoid the inevitable.

"Oh, I see, your boyfriend then."

Flo smirked at the look of horror that had flashed across Kaida's face

"_Matt is not my boyfriend!_" Kaida squealed, flapping her arms up and down like she was trying to fly.

Flo giggled again. This giggle was directed half at Kaida and half at Cyndaquil who had been trying to copy her and ended up tripping over a rock out of enthusiasm.

"All right, no need to go all Pidgey on me," Flo said. "Even if you don't say it, doesn't make it not true"

"What won't I say?!"

Kaida glared at her, knowing what was coming.

"You love him" Flo chirped.

"I do _not_!" Kaida looked at the floor. "We are just _friends_."

If you could even call them that, Kaida thought sadly. They were more like acquaintances. They had only met once.

"Ah, denial." Flo sang, "Kaida and Matty, sitting up a tree..."

"Oh my god, I'm going to kill her," Kaida whispered to Gastly, who grinned at the thought of that.

After a few minutes of repeating the song, Flo was cut short by something bumping into the back of her head. As Kaida and her Pokémon where ahead of her, she didn't understand what had hit her. She turned around to be confronted by a large, pink face.

"Hooooppip," the face said simply.

"Aargh!" Flo screamed, batting the face away and running behind Kaida who had turned about to see what the scream was for.

"You're scared of a Hoppip?" she asked, confused.

"It was this close Kaida!" Flo held her fingers as if she was pinching a very thin sheet of paper. "This close!"

The Hoppip started to float toward her again.

"I think it likes you," Kaida teased, as it bopped Flo on the head again.

"It is cute." Flo smiled. "Maybe I should catch it."

"Don't let me stop you."

Kaida waved her hand, as if to present her with an opportunity.

"All right, go Bellsprout!"

Bellsprout burst out of the Pokéball and wobbled over. It hadn't appeared to have recovered from the flying bowl.

"Bellsprout, use sleep powder!"

Bellsprout tried and summoned up a sleeping powder. However if landed on itself and Bellsprout began to snooze.

"Oh, Bellsprout," Flo moaned, returning it to its ball. "I'm gonna need one of your Pokémon," she demanded.

"Why don't you just throw a Pokéball at it? It seems willing to go with you," Kaida pointed out.

"OK."

Flo rummaged around in her bag only to see, when she looked up, a very odd sight. Hoppip appeared to be flapping wildly in mid air.

"It looks like it's having a fit," Kaida pondered. "In mid air... Well," she concluded, "you don't see that everyday."

"Here goes nothing," said Flo. "Go Pokéball!"

The tiny ball hit the flapping creature and Flo crossed her fingers for luck as the ball rolled around. Kaida was still too busy giggling at the 'go Pokéball' part to join in the panic.

"Yes!" Flo screamed, punching the air in triumph as the ball stopped moving. "I caught a Hoppip."

"Yeah, yeah, well done." Kaida slapped her shoulder. "Now let's go eat. I'm starving!"

She rubbed her noisy stomach. Gastly stared in awe at the noises that it was making.

"But it's only 11:30." Flo frowned

"Yeah, well, if_ someone_ hadn't eaten my breakfast then I wouldn't be hungry."

Kaida glared at her Cyndaquil, who looked up sorrowfully at her. Gastly shook its head as if tutting the small creature. Cyndaquil tugged Kaida's jeans whimpering. Her heart melted in a heartbeat and, as quick as a flash, Cyndaquil was in her arms.

"I can never stay mad at you for long my sweet," Kaida said. "You are too cute for your own good"

"'Quil," it squeaked, now contently in her arms

"Umm, Kaida," Flo said urgently.

Kaida looked up to see Flo had released Hoppit, which was now bopping her on the head continuously. "Little help please"

"I'm surrounded by weirdos and their freakish Pokémon," Kaida sighed.

They managed to wrestle Hoppip away from Flo and back into its Pokéball. Kaida was starving now and was feeling particularly vindictive.

So, as they walked back, she said, "Hoppip is such a cool Pokémon. It's a shame that the only move it knows is Splash."

"Er?" Flo said, confused. She hadn't thought that was true.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaida said. "You know, when it was having a fit in the air. That was Splash." She then lied, "That is pretty much the only move it can ever learn."

She waited patiently for the glorious reaction. When it happened, it was beautiful. Flo screeched so loudly that Kaida could hear birds taking flight from nearby trees, panicked by the explosion.

"WHAT?!"

-

Later on in the day, Kaida disappeared to train her Gastly. After all, ghost moves wouldn't have any effect on Falkner's flying Pokémon because she had heard they were part normal type. Luckily, she had contacted her mother and she had a plan.

"Come on Gastly," she urged. "You can do it. I showed you on the Pokédex and the video clip that Mum sent."

Then Gastly succeeded and Kaida resisted the urge to let out an evil chuckle in her victory. She looked around swiftly. No one was there. It was OK. She released the manic laughter. Gastly joined her.

Then Nila returned clutching a new Mareep and gave her an odd look before shaking her head. Yeah, they'd seen each other do worse before. That was nothing.


	8. Chapter 8: bird issues

**8. Bird issues and **_**Rule 9**_**: Never tease a fire trainer**

"That is so cute!" Flo squealed.

Nila's new Mareep looked extremely alarmed as Flo stampeded towards it and attempted to seize it into a giant bear hug. While Flo did grab Mareep, the Mareep sparkled with electricity and its static coat shocked her.

"Where is Chikorita?" Kaida asked.

Nila shrugged and said, evasively, "It is part of my plan."

Kaida decided it was best not to pursue that line of enquiry. It was doubtful Nila would budge and explain things and Kaida had better things to do anyway. She wanted to challenge the leader of Violet City Pokémon Gym. She was doubtful about her chances of success – she had only just started and he had been training for years – but apparently he had recently acquired some new Pokémon and was using them to battle. This improved her odds slightly.

"I'm going to check out the gym today then," Kaida said.

She still wasn't sure if she would _challenge _the gym leader that day but it was worth taking a look at. At the very least she might be able to watch and learn some new techniques.

"I can't come," Flo said regretfully. "I really have to train some more with Bellsprout. The dance off is only in a few days."

Kaida and Nila both tried very hard not to laugh.

They separated from Flo and went down to the gym. John decided that he may as well go too, since his favourite fishing rod _had _been swallowed by a Gyarados, and he wasn't in the mood for fishing after that.

"Maybe Hoothoot can have a look at the other flying Pokémon," John said, releasing his flying Pokémon in favour of Totodile.

Hoothoot flapped around their heads several times. Nila cringed every time the bird came near, fearing it would excrete on her head. Kaida thought that Nila could go a _little_ over the top with birds, but then she actually had had bird droppings land on her before, so perhaps she could be excused.

The gym was exactly how Kaida imagined it. There were roosts for the birds and trainers showing off their flying skills everywhere. The walls were lined with bird cages, which was a perfect homage to fire Pokémon. It was very simple but it was perfect. Kaida thought of the day when she would hopefully have her own fire gym. There would be flames – maybe even some lava – and fire Pokémon everywhere.

Nila elbowed Kaida to get her out of her fantasy.

"Are you here to battle Falkner?" a girl said, popping up by their side.

Nila and Kaida and John all looked at her. She was tall, slim, and had her mousey hair in bunches. Despite her hair colour, her face was fierce – long and pointed – and she had sharp eyes of a peculiar colour. They were a bluey-green that dissolved into orange sparks around the edge.

"Uh, yeah," Kaida said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Penelope," the girl said. "You can't fight Falkner without fighting me first."

"Um, why?" Kaida asked.

"Because I've travelled all the way from Kanto to fight him," she said, "and then I got disappointed. He's refusing to fight with his strong Pokémon. He has a Pidgeot and a Dodrio and a Noctowl and they're all very strong but he's training a Pidgey and a Pidgeotto and will only fight with them. I beat him _easily_." She held her head higher. "So now I have to face all the other challengers. I came here for a battle and I want to get one."

Kaida frowned. "That's hardly fair. If I fight you now then I'll get to him and my Pokémon will be tired."

Penelope folded her arms across her chest. "Well _someone _has to fight me."

"It's OK, Kaida," Nila said. "I'll fight her." She turned to Penelope. "I only have one Pokémon with me at the moment so it will have to be a one on one."

"Fine," Penelope sighed. She soon perked up. "OK. Let's battle then. Go, Jynx!"

"Mareep," Nila said, releasing the small electric sheep.

Jynx wiggled from side to side, sashaying forwards. It towered over the tiny, sparking Mareep. John eyed it in interest, taking note of the shine to its yellow hair.

"That Jynx looks strong," John said.

"It is," Penelope said, proudly. "I raised it from a Smoochum. It was my first ever Pokémon."

Nila looked over at Kaida and John. "You should go and find Falkner," she said to Kaida, who nodded. "You go battle him and I'll finish with her."

"Cocky!" Penelope said through a smile. "I like it. It'll be better when I crush you."

Nila raised an eyebrow in return. "I doubt that."

Kaida and John departed as the battle started behind them.

"OK, Jynx," Penelope cried. "Use Doubleslap!"

Jynx raised its hands and swiped at the Mareep. Mareep dodged the right hand by jumping up and, as Jynx rounded for a second blow, Mareep dodged again by crouching. Jynx moved to use its attack again but it was soon evident that Mareep was the faster Pokémon, being smaller and more agile. It skidded to the right to dodge Jynx so that the third and fourth blows from Doubleslap failed as well. Nila was glad they hadn't hit because the Jynx looked tough. It was likely far more powerful than Mareep because she hadn't had Mareep for long and, although it was quite strong already, Penelope had raised this Jynx and had had it for a long time.

"If that won't work," Penelope said, "then use Power Snow!"

Jynx swooped up, raising its arms. Its arms shimmered and glittered as it summoned a snowy gust that blasted into Mareep. It had been impossible to avoid because it had spanned so much area and Jynx had created the gust so quickly. Mareep shuddered from the cold attack and planted its feet firmly on the ground so it was not buffeted backwards.

"Mareep, use Thundershock!"

Mareep had been holding itself so stubbornly against the icy gale that Mareep stumbled forward when it stopped. It shook itself, recovering from the previous icy attack. Then it sparked with electricity and unleashed the energy. The electric attack zapped into the Jynx and Nila thought it must have caused a fair amount of damage, even if electricity wasn't one of Jynx's weaknesses.

"Now, use Body Slam!" Nila ordered.

The Mareep charged at Jynx and slammed into it while it was still recovering from the electrical attack. Jynx was driven backwards, winded. Penelope frowned. Her sharp eyes flickered between the two Pokémon as she assessed the situation. She put her hands on her hips.

"It is lucky that your Mareep is a girl because Jynx's special ability is Attract and that could have meant your Mareep was out of commission."

Nila had known this and was glad that Mareep was female. She wouldn't have attempted the Body Slam attack otherwise. She was thinking of her next move when Penelope figured out hers.

"Jynx, use Lovely Kiss!"

"Mareep, get away!" Nila yelled urgently.

Jynx puckered up and Mareep dodged away, barely avoiding the attack as the Jynx swooped towards it. Those lips were horrifying, Nila thought. She would not want them on her. No wonder Mareep had run away so hastily.

"OK, Mareep," she said, as Jynx stopped trying to attack. "Body Slam again."

Mareep charged towards the Jynx.

"Wait for it," Penelope said.

The Mareep drew closer.

"Now," Penelope yelled. "Ice Punch!"

The Jynx slammed its icy fist into Nila's Mareep as it launched itself towards Jynx to Body Slam it. The Mareep was caught midair and thrown across the room by the force of the powerful punch. It skidded to a halt, and scrambled to its feet again, but Nila could see that it was hurt.

"Use Thundershock instead then!" Nila called.

Jynx attempted to evade the attack but Mareep caught it with the burst of electricity. Now Jynx was the one growing weaker.

"Jynx, use Fake Tears!" Penelope called.

Mareep and Nila were both bewildered by the display. Jynx broke into strange sobs. Surely this wasn't an attack… Something niggling at the back of Nila's mind was warning her something. Oh, yes, it tricked the foe and lowered their Special Defence.

"Mareep, try to ignore it," Nila said sharply. "It's a trick. Instead use another Thundershock!"

Penelope cursed as Jynx was hit by the attack again. Its health was depleted further.

"Use Powder Snow!"

Mareep was ready for the attack this time and it dodged away from the worst of the snowy gust, moving into the fringes of the attack, before firing another Thundershock back.

"Now try what I told you about before," Nila called. "Thunder Wave!"

A different spark of electricity now slammed into Jynx. The electricity shuddered around Jynx's body and it found itself paralysed and unable to move. Nila smirked in triumph, while Penelope looked horrified.

"Now use Body Slam!" Nila ordered. "It can't punch back now!"

Mareep slammed into Jynx one more time and the battle was over. Jynx was unconscious and Mareep had won.

"I can't believe it," Penelope said incredulously. "Your Mareep is powerful!"

"Yeah," Nila said, patting the head of her triumphant Pokémon. "It is." Then she said, "Your Jynx was pretty strong too. I think if it had managed to put my Pokémon to sleep the battle would have gone very differently."

"Yeah," Penelope said. "Maybe I need to work on Jynx's speed and accuracy. Lovely Kiss is a great move but it is useless if I can't get Jynx close enough to the Pokémon. You've taught me that!"

Nila and Penelope exchanged smiles.

"Anyway, you better give me your number," Penelope said. "This isn't over. We'll have a rematch. I'm leaving Violet City but you better be sure that I'll battle you again. Once Jynx is faster, you won't have a chance!"

"We'll see about that!" Nila scoffed.

They switched numbers.

"I better go see how Kaida is doing," Nila said. "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah, actually," Penelope said. "That might be fun."

They started to walk in the direction that Kaida and John had left him.

"You better beat Falkner now," Penelope said conversationally. "I'll die of embarrassment if you lose to those new Pokémon since you beat me."

Nila laughed.

-

When Kaida and John had left Nila behind to battle the girl with the Jynx, they had continued through the avian gym, asking for directions to the gym leader. Eventually they found themselves meeting the dark haired gym leader outside behind the gym, where Kaida was prompt in asking for a battle.

"Sure," Falkner said, jerking his head so the hair across his eye fell properly into place. "At the moment I'm having two on two battles. I can have one right now with you, if you like."

"That's good," Kaida said.

She was trying to appear confident but in reality she was extremely nervous. She put her hands into her pocket and tried to stop herself from shaking. Partly she was shaking in anticipation but a lot was fear. This was her first gym battle. She had only been a trainer for a short while.

"OK then, go Pidgey!"

"Gastly, go!"

Gastly emerged from the Pokéball, pulling the most gruesome face that it could muster.

"Pidgey, Gust!" Falkner ordered.

"Gastly, avoid it."

Gastly disappeared. The Pidgey looked around in confusion and Kaida felt a rush of elation. Gastly was excellent at evading attacks. Falkner, however, did not look discouraged.

"Pidgey, use Foresight," Falkner ordered.

Pidgey's eyes glowed and Kaida paled. She hadn't anticipated that a Pidgey could know this move. Now it would be able to track Gastly's movements far more easily. Part of her strategy had been thrown out of the window.

"How…?" she asked.

"It's learnt as an Egg Move," Falkner told her. "It is a highly useful talent that I've been breeding into my new Pokémon."

Kaida bit her lip. This was unfortunate. However, it wasn't her only tactic and she knew that she couldn't let it get her down.

"You know what to do, Gastly," Kaida said, as Pidgey readied itself for another attack.

Gastly pulled back, ready to attack.

"Pidgey, Gust attack!"

As Pidgey flew at Gastly, preparing the attack, Gastly nipped in and slammed into Pidgey, sending it tumbling backwards.

"That was Sucker Punch," John said, amazed. "You taught it that quickly."

"A few days work," Kaida said modestly. Then humility failed her as she added, "And my brilliance, of course."

"There is only one problem with that attack," Falkner said. "You need me to prepare to attack before you can use it."

Aah, Kaida thought. Yes, there was that. A tiny flaw.

"Use Whirlwind, Pidgey!"

Gastly was whipped around the stadium, spinning furiously as the drafts of wind blew it about. It looked very dazed and confused.

"Now, Twister!"

"Sucker Punch!"

Gastly did manage to slam into Pidgey, but it was also caught in the giant twister, which spun it around furiously. It was trapped. Kaida frowned. She had been hoping to attack the Pidgey with a combination of Sucker Punch and Hypnosis but now she wasn't sure how to get Gastly out of the twister to do this. Plus, she had taught Gastly another move that would come in handy.

"Pidgey, use Gust," Falkner ordered. "Keep that whirlwind going!"

"Gastly, it is weak at the top," Kaida called. "Move up and out!"

Levitation was good for something. Soon Gastly popped out of the top of the Twister and was moving back towards Pidgey.

"Whirlwind!" Falkner ordered. "Don't let is use Sucker Punch!"

Kaida didn't have much choice then.

"Use the other move we learned," Kaida ordered. "Curse!"

John watched, fascinated, as Gastly sacrificed its own health to place the curse on Pidgey, which would sap its health steadily for the rest of the battle. Pidgey shuddered violently. The effects were already in place. Unfortunately this now meant Gastly was weak. It had lost health in the vicious twister and now it had cut its health further for this move.

"Gastly, use Hypnosis," Kaida commanded.

Her only hope was to put Pidgey to sleep so its health would sap away while it was unable to attack Gastly and worsen its health.

"Pidgey, get away from there!"

Pidgey was quick as well and it managed to fly away from the hypnotising attack. They all watch it shudder again as the curse took effect.

"Use Twister!"

"Gastly, go high!" Kaida said.

It avoided the first twister but then, somehow, Pidgey sent another one flying towards it. Gastly dodged that one but Pidgey sent a whirlwind flying that buffeted Gastly into the attack. It was whipped around again in the twisted. Kaida was amazed. How had the Pidgey managed to perform so many attacks at once when it was now quite weak?! It was amazing. One day she envisioned her fire Pokémon sending fire spinning to a similar effect… It would be beautiful.

"Come on Gastly, go high again!" Kaida called.

But Gastly didn't have the energy. It didn't emerge and, when the Twister began to dissipate, they could see that Gastly had sunk to the ground. It had fainted.

"Never mind, Gastly," Kaida said. She recalled it to its Pokéball. "OK, finish that Pidgey off, Cyndaquil! Ember!"

Cyndaquil darted forwards and sent Ember attack flying at Pidgey. Pidgey was extremely weakened by Gastly's Curse and it flapped a few times helplessly before it dropped to the ground. Falkner hurried forwards to check on his Pokémon. He recalled it to its Pokéball.

"Well done," he said to Kaida, "but don't think this is over. We're one on one now. Go Pidgeotto!"

A larger bird burst from the Pokéball this time.

"Pidgeotto, use Sand Attack!" Falkner cried.

The bird whipped its wind and sand flew towards Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil cried in pain as the sand hit into its eyes and reduced its accuracy. Kaida cursed under her breath.

"Shake it off, Cyndaquil. Now use Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil shook its head and then started to move at rapid speed.

"Move up high!" Falkner ordered. "The attack can't get you there."

Pidgeotto shot up but Kaida was ready for that.

"Now use Flame Wheel at it!"

Cyndaquil rolled into a fiery ball, spinning through the hair to catch Pidgeotto sharply. It was weakened significantly by the attack before it managed to break free and soar to relative safely.

"Dive and use quick attack!" ordered Falkner.

"Ready yourself and dodge use Ember!"

While Cyndaquil did manage to hit the Pidgeotto with an Ember attack, it was not quick enough to dodge the Quick Attack, which sent it bowling backwards, as Pidgeotto almost spun out of control due to the fire attack hitting one of its wings.

"Use Gust!"

Cyndaquil had only just got back up when it was blown off its feet again. It was looking a lot weaker. Pidgeotto was a powerful Pokémon.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," Kaida encouraged. "Flame Wheel!"

"Twister!"

Cyndaquil and its fire were whipped into the powerful, swirling vortex of wind. Although the fire wouldn't hurt Cyndaquil, the vortex would. It had been bad enough that Gastly – the ghost Pokémon – had been stuck swirling around. The effect would be worse for Cyndaquil, who could not levitate.

"Come on Cyndaquil!" Kaida called. "Use Flame Wheel! Try to control that fire and get the wind away from you!"

It seemed to work. Cyndaquil spun around in a ball of fire from the middle of the wind, which was forced apart by the fierce onslaught of flames. However, when Cyndaquil emerged, Kaida saw it was panting from the effort. It had used a lot of power in freeing itself. Kaida couldn't let Cyndaquil get stuck in the Twister attack again.

"Quick Attack," Falkner said.

This time Cyndaquil did manage to avoid the attack and Pidgeotto pulled up just in time so that it did not hit the ground. Kaida was disappointed. The battle would have gone a lot better if it had.

"Twister!"

"Dodge it!" Kaida said desperately. "Move quickly like with Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil darted out of the way of the Twister and ended up before Pidgeotto as the wind spiralled away.

"Attack it with Ember!"

Cyndaquil sent the sparks of fire at Pidgeotto and hit it. Pidgeotto flew backwards, flapping wildly, its wings singed. It had been burned! Yes! There was little that Falkner could do about that injury, which would be exacerbated when Pidgeotto moved around.

"Gust!"

Cyndaquil was caught up in the Gust attack but managed to send a Flame Wheel of its own in return. This hit the Pidgeotto and caused even more damage. Both Pokémon were weak now. It was just a question to who would go faint first.

"Keep going, Cyndaquil," Kaida encouraged. "We can win this."

"Don't give up, Pidgeotto," Falkner said calmly in return. "Quick Attack!"

"Ember!"

The two Pokémon collided and both skidded backwards across the room. Kaida and Falkner both watched urgently. Cyndaquil got weakly to its feet. Pidgeotto did too. Then, Pidgeotto slumped back down. Kaida's heart jumped to her throat! She had won!

"The match goes to Kaida!"

Kaida rushed to her Cyndaquil, squealing. It staggered into her arms, its flame extinguishing now that the fight was over. She cuddled it and praised it. She had won her first ever gym match thanks to the genius of Gastly and the power of her cute Cyndaquil. She was so happy she could burst.

"Well done," Falkner praised.

She looked up to see him tending to his Pidgeotto and its burns. He got up and walked over to her, handing her a small, glinting object.

"Here is your gym badge then," Falkner said. "It is the Zephyr Badge. You deserve it. Your Cyndaquil is very determined."

Cyndaquil buried its face into Kaida, embarrassed.

"I know," Kaida said proudly. "Your Pokémon were great too."

John walked over to congratulate her and Nila and the girl from before – Penelope – followed. Kaida had been so wrapped up in her battle she hadn't seen them arrive.

"How much did you see?" she asked.

"Gastly using Curse," Nila said. "Good choice."

"I know," Kaida said happily. "That really was the reason that Pidgey was defeated by Cyndaquil so easily." She smiled. "And I worked long and hard for Gastly to get that move."

At Nila's look she amended.

"OK, my mother worked long and hard with those clips… But I helped! Those clips could have come from anywhere!"

"I know, I know," Nila said, with a small eye roll. "It was you."

"And Cyndaquil was amazing," Kaida gushed.

She went back to cooing at her Pokémon while Nila talked to Falkner about arranging a battle for her. Falkner said he had some other trainers lined up to fight so she would have to wait a while longer. They arrived a provisional date and time and Falkner said he would have to make sure his Pokémon were fighting fit and ready to go at that time. Penelope said she would stick around for the battle and then congratulated Kaida before leaving.

They then left the gym. Kaida was still chattering to Cyndaquil about its amazing powers and prowess in battle. Nila and John groaned and tried to tune her out.

Honestly…

Now in open air, Kaida lifted up Cyndaquil and twirled around with it outstretched in her arms.

"We did it!" she screamed, before putting Cyndaquil back down and doing what could only be described as a victory dance, which of course Cyndaquil tried to copy.

Nila cringed at her friend and hoped that no one else was watching the weird display.

"Hey guys!" Flo called as she ran over to them.

Nila had to bite her tongue as Flo was wearing the same outfit as the ones they had first met her in. The green tutu was too much to take.

"Oh. My. God. I won!" Kaida screamed at her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them. "I have my first gym badge! I'm so happy," she squealed, jumping up and down on the spot. "_Nothing_ can compare to this moment"

"Oh yeah?" Flo cocked an eyebrow. "Well Matty-boy will be very disappointed."

She giggled as Kaida froze in mid dance.

"What did you say?!" Kaida exploded.

Even Nila winced and she had seen Kaida go crazy hundreds of times. Cyndaquil hid behind Kaida's leg, scared that is owner might burst into flames, and John had even dropped his guidebook out of shock. She sure was loud for a small person…

"Oh, nothing," Flo grinned. "Just he might be a little upset to hear that beating a few birds is more exciting than say–" she paused for effect knowing that Kaida was getting madder by the second. "–going on a date with him."

Kaida was red with fury now. Nila had started to look worried. She knew how bad Kaida's temper was, and that it was very few things that made her go crazy like this, but her love life was one of them.

"Ho-oh help that idiot girl if she insults Cyndaquil as well," Nila whispered to John.

John nodded. His eyes never left the scene, which was Kaida shaking in rage at a giggling Flo.

"I take it she isn't a big talker when it comes to talking about the males of the world," John asked.

"Let's just say she doesn't like to be teased about this kind of thing."

Nila patted the Mareep at her feet, who looked like it wanted to run into a bush and hide from the shaking beast in front of it.

"Say what did he look like again…? Tall dark and handsome?"

Flo, of course, knew what Matt looked like, having been filled in on the details of the rock incident by Nila. She was just enjoying the sweet satisfaction of Kaida's pain.

"You don't talk about him. Anymore. At all." Kaida growled. "He is not part of your life he is a part of my life. Now keep your stupid tutu arse out of it."

Kaida began to walk off towards the town again.

"But I've already met him," Flo stated.

At this, Kaida paused, still shaking.

"Now this just got interesting." John scratched his chin, intrigued.

"Oh, Lugia," Nila moaned. "I really need some milk."

"What?"

"I feel it's a milk moment. It will calm my nerves."

"What are you nervous about?" John asked, looking confused. "The loudness of her voice?"

"You have no idea. Really. No idea." Nila shook her head knowingly.

"What?" Kaida asked calmly, turning around

"I was going to tell you yesterday, but anyway, he came to town two days before you did." She smiled thoughtfully. "I didn't think anything of it until you said your guy had a Growlithe."

"Then why didn't you tell me?!" Kaida demanded.

"Well, he left the morning you were going to help me go find more Pokémon."

Kaida's eyes were as wide as saucers.

Flo continued, "But by the time that I realised that he was the same guy, I figured he was gone. Anyway, you were helping me, no way you were going to abandon me for some emo guy," Flo concluded.

"Hell, yeah, I would!" Kaida screamed, causing Cyndaquil to dart to Nila, who scooped it up reassuringly. "How dare you not tell me!"

"Oh come on Kaida," Flo said soothingly. "There will be other chances to see him! If you are that bothered then why don't you call him?"

"Because I haven't got his number, you socially incapable Mudkip!" Kaida roared as she glared daggers at Flo.

"Really?" Flo looked puzzled. "Well that date must have sucked. Guess he's just not that into younger girls."

"Oh _high Ho-oh, _that's a bad move," Nila muttered as she rocked Cyndaquil back and forth comfortingly. It had buried its face in her arms.

"Take it back now!" Kaida's knuckles were white with rage.

John grimaced. "This can not end well."

"I'm sorry, Kaida, but you'll have to face facts sooner or later. He's just not that into you." Flo pondered, as an afterthought, "Hmm. Maybe he's gay"

"Aahhh!" Kaida screamed, grabbing the bin beside her and, with all her might, she threw it at Flo.

"Oh, crap," Nila said. Her face drained as she watched the bin soaring through the air.

"Wow, what a throw. She has a real arm on her!" John said, impressed.

Flo, on the other hand, looked terrified. She had never meant to anger Kaida so much: she just enjoyed annoying her. She had never expected that someone so small could throw a bin quite that far. She was frozen as she saw the bin coming closer and closer towards her but, just before the moment of impact, her Bellsprout, out of nowhere, jumped up and tackled the flying bin out of the path of its owner.

"Oh, _Lugia_. Thanks, Bellsprout." Flo sighed in relief.

"Oh my Murkrow," John whispered.

Flo glanced up and, to her horror, saw something unfamiliar.

"Why is my Bellsprout glowing?" she panicked

"It's evolving, you idiot," Nila said.

Nila glared at Flo's stupidity as she went to help up a fallen Kaida, who was now sitting on her legs, her head bowed so none of her face was visible.

"What?!" Flo yelped.

She ran over to her glowing Pokémon but it was too late. Before her stood, in all its glory, a Weepinbell.

"Oh, tumbling Tangela, it is _hideous_!" she screamed.

"Bellsprout wasn't exactly a looker either," Nila whispered to Kaida, who was still in her emo corner.

"Bell, Bell!"

The Weepinbell jumped up and down, smiling to itself, and proud of what it had achieved. Flo bent down to look at it closer, but her plan was foiled when it leaped into the air and positioned itself above her head so, as it fell, it swallowed half of her. This seemed to be some sort of form of affection in Weepinbell terms.

"Ewww, get it off me!" Flo screamed.

John laughed before leaping into action. Meanwhile, Nila was still trying to get Kaida out of her rut. The scene of Weepinbell eating Flo had not improved matters.

"Come on, Kaida, smile!"

Nila tried to push Kaida's head up but found that her friend could make her head very heavy when she tried.

"Oooh, _Kaida_," Nila said in a singsong voice. "Take no notice of Miss Dancy Pants over there. She has no idea what she's talking about."

Kaida still didn't move.

Nila continued, "I mean who is going to take love advice from someone wearing _those _leg warmers. It's just not right."

Nila shook her head at the though. Who indeed would take love advice from someone dressed as a Bellsprout?

"Do you think he's gay?" a small voice asked.

Nila looked down to see Kaida have emerged from her emo corner.

"Well, he didn't look gay to me when he was taking you on that date."

Nila smiled at the determination on Kaida's face to remember that day. She could tell she was reliving it to find some indication as to if he was gay or not.

"So I might still have a chance?" she whispered.

"Yes, Kaida, you still have a chance with your emo."

Kaida grinned and grabbed Nila into a hug.

"Now did I say you could touch me?" Nila growled.

Kaida laughed and stood up, pulling her worried Cyndaquil into a hug.

"Look what you did!" Flo screeched at Kaida

"What _now, _Plum?" Nila asked wearily.

She sighed and stood beside Kaida, brushing her clothes flat again.

"You turned my beautiful Bellsprout into… Into _that_!"

Flo pointed at the Weepinbell that John was now clutching so that it didn't try to eat Flo again.

"But now it's more powerful." Nila raised her eyebrows. "Do you not want a half decent Pokémon?"

"But the dance!" Flo demanded, "What do you intend I do about it now? All that practice ruined…"

"On the bright side…" Nila smirked. "She just saved you wearing that terrible outfit in front of other people."

Flo rounded on Kaida

"This is all your fault!"

"Well, actually, it's your fault for saying all that stuff about Matt and, more importantly, that bin was meant to hit you and not your bloody Bellsprout. It is not my fault that thing tried to save your life," Kaida countered

"That's right, Kaida. Don't make it sound like you are a murdering psycho or anything…" Nila muttered.

Kaida just glared at her in return.

"Arghhh!" Flo screamed before stomping off towards her house.

"Think we should follow?" John asked, releasing Weepinbell, who bounced off after Flo.

"Nah we'll just let her sulk on her own," Nila replied. "Anyway, after that outburst, Kaida's stomach is telling me it's a bit hungry."

Kadia blushed at her growling stomach.

"To the café!" John declared, racing off to the left path, jabbing at his guidebook.

"Hey, genius, the book is the wrong way round. The cafe is that way," Nila said, pointing to the right path.

She looked highly amused.

"Touché!" John yelled at the two girls, as he ran off towards the right direction with Totodile dancing behind him.

-

Chikorita had been returned from Kaida's mother via the computer link in the Pokémon Centre and Nila couldn't wait to see the results. The night before the battle with Falkner she tested out the new move and was extremely satisfied. Yes, she thought that she had a good chance of winning now. Chikorita was weak against flying types but now she had a secret weapon.

On the day of the match, Nila suffered a rude awakening at three o'clock in the morning from the wails of Flo, who was still lamenting the loss of her Bellsprout since it had evolved into Weepinbell. She heard Flo cry something about the Dance Off slipping through her fingers and her life being ruined before she pulled a pillow over her ears and went back to sleep. People could be so overly dramatic.

A few hours later and Nila was awoken by a dancing Totodile, which leapt excitedly around Flo's house, cackling as it went. It trampled all over her, messed up her bedcovers, and then, to add insult to the injury, stamped on Chikorita, who jumped up and used Tackle in retaliation. The result was chaos as Totodile used Water Gun to fight back.

"John!" Nila yelled. "John!"

John poked his head in the room. He saw the chaos and gulped.

"Uh, sorry?"

He picked up Totodile and dragged him out.

Nila hissed angrily and tried to flop back down and go back to sleep. A minute later and she got out of bed and stomped down the stairs. The Water Gun attack had soaked all the way through her pillow.

Later, after she had eaten breakfast, and deliberately woken up the rest of the house by being loud, Nila left the house for a spot of early morning training before the big match. She felt she had an advantage over Kaida because she had seen a lot of Falkner's tactics during the fight with Kaida. That way she had been able to play some more tactics in advance, where Kaida had had to act on the spot. Plus, Gastly had been at a disadvantage, where Mareep was strong against flying types. And Chikorita… She hoped she had that problem sorted out.

"You're up early," Kaida said, shocked. "Nervous?"

"No," Nila said. "That hyperactive moron woke me up."

"Oh," Kaida said. "Yeah, Totodile." She sighed. "I am so glad I traded him for Cyndaquil. Not just because I love Cyndaquil but, seriously, that thing is annoying. I don't know how I would manage to control it."

"You call what John does controlling it?" Nila said irritably. "Pulling Totodile out of the room after he drenched my bed."

Nila did not like to be woken up and deprived of sleep. She was already plotting. Flo and Totodile would pay dearly.

A few hours on, at a more respectable hour, Nila went to the gym for her battle with Falkner. Chikorita was by her side and Mareep was waiting safely in its Pokéball. Penelope was waiting outside the building, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Remember, you have to win," she said to Nila.

Nila rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," Kaida said. "I beat him. You can too."

Falkner was waiting in the back of the gym in the cool, crisp morning air. Kaida lined up to face him and sent Chikorita forward as her first Pokémon.

"A Chikorita?" Falkner asked. "Is that wise? I don't think I've ever lost to one before."

"They haven't been my Chikorita," Nila said calmly.

Falkner sent out his Pidgey.

"Pidgey, gust!"

"Dodge it."

Chikorita leapt out of the way of the gust of wind. While not as fast as Kaida's Cyndaquil, it was fairly speedy.

"Razor Leaf!"

The leaves managed to hit Pidgey but it was mostly unaffected by the grass attack. It retaliated with another Gust, which Chikorita narrowly avoided. Pidgey was close now, hoping to get another hit. Nila folded her arms across her chest.

"Chikorita, use Ancient Power!"

Swirling rocks were summoned, crashing into Pidgey. She had played a rock move against the flying type and it was super effective. Even Falkner looked surprised.

"So that is what Mum taught it," Kaida muttered. She hadn't realised Chikorita could learn anything like that. It explained why Nila had been fiddling around on her Pokédex at any rate.

Chikorita was caught by the next Gust attack and was hurt badly. It managed to summon another Ancient Power, however, which Pidgey could not avoid. It was damaged quite badly now, flapping its wings weakly near the floor.

"Now finish it off with tackle!" Nila ordered.

She didn't want to overuse Ancient Power. It was a draining move and Chikorita could not perform it endlessly, especially since it had just learnt it. Luckily, Chikorita collided with the Pidgey and that was enough. Pidgey fell to the ground and fainted.

Falkner withdrew Pidgey and almost immediately sent out his Pidgeotto, ordering to perform Sand Attack, which hit Chikorita square in the face.

"Chikorita try Ancient Power!"

Chikorita summoned the Ancient Power but, due to reduced accuracy, it was slightly off and Pidgeotto was able to dodge the blow. Nila frowned. She wasn't sure if Chikorita could manage a fourth Ancient Power. Kaida's mother said when Chikorita was stronger it would be able to manage around five in a battle, perhaps a few more, but for now she thought it had drained Chikorita enough.

"Chikorita, try Ancient Power again," Nila said.

It was worth the attempt.

Chikorita tried but only summoned a few rocks, which Pidgeotto blew away quickly with a Gust attack that sent Chikorita spinning. It was badly hurt.

"Use Synthesis."

Chikorita started to go but Pidgeotto interrupted. It formed a particularly powerful guest and sent Chikorita flying backwards towards Nila. It was knocked unconscious almost as soon as the attack hit. Nila crouched down to check on her Pokémon. It was just exhausted. There was no serious damage. She returned Chikorita to its Pokéball.

"Mareep," Nila said, throwing the next Pokéball. "Finish this."

Mareep erupted from the Pokéball. It raised its head and bleated before stamping its feet impatiently. It was ready for battle.

"Pidgeotto, use Sand Attack!" Falkner instructed.

Pidgeotto did but Mareep managed to evade it. Then, on Nila's command, it performed Thundershock, which hit Pidgeotto in the sky. Pidgeotto was weakened significantly.

"Twister!" Falkner ordered.

Mareep was swept into the cyclone. Nila grimaced. She had been half hoping Pidgey was the only one to know this particularly frustrating move. It was dragon type, quite powerful, and extremely annoying.

Mareep eventually managed to struggle out of the fast wind, but it had taken a fair amount of damage doing so. Nila frowned. Pidgeotto could not be underestimated, even if Mareep had the type advantage.

"Thundershock!"

Pidgeotto managed to dodge the first electrical blast but Mareep hit it with a second round. Nila watched with satisfaction as Pidgeotto dropped sharply in the air before it recovered, flapping its wings furiously to regain height.

"And again!" she said to Mareep.

"Use Gust!"

Mareep went spinning backwards because of the attack and its Thundershock went awry. However, it was quick enough to fire another volley, which this time hit Pidgeotto. It half crashed, half landed on the ground and Nila saw the opportunity and ordered Mareep to use Body Slam. It slammed into Pidgeotto and this was the move that finished the Pokémon off.

So now Nila had the Zephyr Badge too.

"Excellent," Penelope said. "Now I don't have to throw myself off the building."


	9. Chapter 9: rainy days on the road

**9. Rainy days on the road to Ruins and Woopers.**

They went out for a celebratory dinner and Penelope entertained them all with tales of her friends, who were supposed to be meeting her the next day so they could travel west to the National Park.

"My friend likes bug Pokémon," she explained. "A lot." She wrinkled her nose. "I think it is kind of weird."

Penelope then had to face the wrath of John and his million points about how bugs were fascinating and quite powerful. Needless to say, Kaida and Nila had zoned out John's voice at that point and started a mini food fight across the table. Kaida had won after finding a piece of tomato, one of Nila's most hated food, and flicking that across the table so it hit her cheek, much to her horror, and caused her to stay in the bathroom for half an hour scrubbing her face to get rid of the tomato germs.

She left them in the evening and they returned to Flo's house. She still wasn't speaking to any of them – and had locked herself in her room – so they went to sleep him her spare room, after telling her parents that they were grateful for being allowed to stay, and that they were leaving the next morning.

The next day John refused to leave for Azalea Town until he had thoroughly investigated the Ruins of Alph. Since Flo was, again, refusing to leave the house, and was moaning with misery about her Bellsprout evolving into a Weepinbell, they said goodbye through the door and left without her. They walked south and west towards the ruins and John began to pull out various tools, including a magnifying glass, an array of picks, a strange radar, and a microscope. Nila and Kaida watched him in some confusion.

John met with some of the other archaeologists and then they went into one of the ruins. Kaida and Nila traipsed behind him. There were strange symbols carved all over the ruins and a tablet ahead. The tablet had several empty squares on it where tiles apparently had to be pushed into place. Some of the tiles were in there but many were missing.

"We're not sure what it is," one of the archaeologists said to John. "There are several of these in other ruins and we've been trying to put the pieces together. It is difficult to tell what belongs in each tablet because we found them all in a different building."

"How did you figure those ones out?" John asked.

The archaeologist explained that someone had removed the tiles and, on occasion, bits of the tiles had been left behind on the tablet. They had therefore been able to slot those back in to place. It was difficult to tell with some of the other pieces and they were making slow process.

"It's a picture of something," the archaeologist said, "but we aren't sure what."

"A Pokémon of some kind?" John guessed.

It was impossible to tell what kind of Pokémon it was. It was impossible to tell if it even was a Pokémon at all. It all seemed pretty hopeless to Kaida. She sat down on the floor and played with Cyndaquil while John continued his talk with the archaeologists. After a point, Nila joined in, which meant that they probably wouldn't be leaving for a while.

Nila and John eventually returned to tell Kaida she could go and wait outside if she wanted to.

"Fine," Kaida said. She groaned. "My neck hurts."

"Why is that?" John asked.

Kaida shrugged. "I dunno, it's holding up my head?"

"It is a large head," Nila said. "Your poor, poor neck."

Kaida glared.

She went outside with Cyndaquil and began to look around. Eventually she stumbled across an excavation site. As she arrived the men left to go and eat lunch and Kaida surveyed the site. She didn't mind historical stuff – she quite liked it – but nothing interesting was happening at all. What could a few tiles in a tablet possibly show anyway?

At that moment, Cyndaquil leapt down into the ditch and began to nose about the floor.

"Cyndaquil," Kaida called. "I don't think that you are supposed to be down there. Come back up."

Cyndaquil continued snuffling the ground. Kaida looked around warily and – when she saw no one who could help her or would stop her – she jumped in after Cyndaquil. She scooped Cyndaquil up but the Pokémon stained itself so it was facing the floor again. Kaida frowned. She picked up a nearby trowel and scraped at the dirt. She hit something hard. She went over to a box of equipment and found a hard brush. She then began to move the dirt with that in case the trowel damaged anything. A few minutes later and she had uncovered a strange box. It was covered with the same strange symbols that had lined the building they had been in before. Kaida inspected the box and clicked open the lid. Inside were several tiles with the strange imprints on them.

"Look what you found, Cyndaquil," Kaida said. "Come on. We have to give this to those archaelogists."

They used the dirty wooden steps to get out of the hole and then they rushed back to the building. Kaida clutched the box tightly to her chest. She entered the building and everyone looked up at her.

"Cyndaquil found this in one of the holes," she announced. "It has more tiles in."

"You went in the holes?!" one of archaeologists said crossly.

Another ignored this. He went forwards and took the box from Kaida. He looked amazed.

"We have to process this," he said happily. "Use all the scans." He looked back up at Kaida. "Where did you find this? You have to show us the exact location."

"Um, OK," Kaida said.

She left the building to show one of the other archaeologists the spot that she had dug it out from.

"Don't handle them," another archaeologist said. "We could damage them."

The box was opened anyway – they were all so curious – and they all looked at the new stack of tiles that had been found.

"This could be all the missing ones," the tall man next to John said fervently.

John peered over at the top tiles. Things clicked in his head. Without waiting for approval, he grabbed the two top tiles from the box, despite the protests this raised. He pushed them into the tablet and then grabbed some more tiles from the table. Yes. He could see what this was now. It _was _a Pokémon.

"Look," he said, as he pushed the last tile in. "It's a Kabutops."

The archaeologists crowded around and stared in amazement. It was. The missing tiles had completed the picture that they hadn't been able to see before. No doubt they could do the same for the other tablets now.

Then there was a loud, grinding sound and, suddenly, the floor underneath John rolled back and he fell through. There was a shocked gasp and everyone rushed towards the hole.

"Are you OK?" they called.

John groaned from below. "I'm fine. I'm just bruised. Ow. Wait… _What's that_?"

There was silence.

"John?"

There was no reply. Nila caught a glimpse of John below. He was staring at something to the side of him.

"That's the chamber below ground," one of the archaeologists said. "We have ladders going down into that room. Come on, we can go get him out."

Nila went with them. The ladders were placed all over the site and led into a grand chamber with strange walls that jutted out half way across the width of the room at alternating points. Eventually they came across John, who was shouting back up that he was fine. He still looked shocked.

"What happened?" Nila asked.

"I saw a Pokémon. More than one," John replied. "It was… They looked like those strange symbols on the wall."

"You mean to say that you _saw_ the Unown?!" one of women babbled excitedly. "This is unheard of! No one has ever seen one _here_ before. At other sites like it, yes, but that has almost been dismissed as rumour…"

"I definitely saw them," John said.

He stood up. He went to the wall and walked along, pointing at several different symbols.

"It was these," he declared.

Everyone looked stunned.

Hours later and the archaeologists were using their expensive equipment to analyse the tiles that John had slotted into the tablet and those that still remained in the box. The tiles in the tablet were now refusing to come out and the archaeologists did not want to apply more force in case they broke.

"This stuff is amazing," John said, as he flipped through pages of their research. "I definitely want to become a Pokémon Researcher."

"You're a bit too young at the moment," one of the men said. "In a few years time you should come back and we'll definitely take you on."

"But I'll have missed all of the good stuff by then," John complained.

The man shook his head. "Definitely not. There will always be new stuff to discover. You'll see. If you like, we'll send you the work we do here though. After all, you helped us discover it. You have a quick mind. You managed to put those tiles together very quickly."

John beamed with pride. In a few years time he was almost certainly going to return to join their research team. Until then he had a lot more discovering to do in other areas of Pokémon. It was probably time to go. It was getting late and they had not got far from Violet City.

"Should we go back and stay at Flo's?" he asked Kaida and Nila as they left the Ruins of Alph.

"Uh," Kaida said reluctantly. "I did throw a bin at her. I don't think she likes me very much."

"Camping it is then," Nila said decisively.

They were about to set up their tents when a short person burst out from some trees with a furious look on her face.

"Are you _leaving without me_?!" Flo demanded.

"Um, you were coming with us?" Kaida said, surprised.

Flo glared at Kaida. "It is your fault my Bellsprout evolved!"

Kaida opened her mouth to protest but Flo interrupted her.

"I'm going to come with you. I need to catch another Bellsprout and train it and you are going to help me." She scowled. "And you'll help me catch cute Pokémon since Weepinbell is now ugly."

Weepinbell bounced behind Flo. It looked extremely dejected. Apparently it had now realised that evolving had not been its best move.

"Again," Nila murmured to Kaida. "Since when was Bellsprout considered _cute_?"

"You owe me! You're helping me!" Flo said crossly. "Now let's get back to my house. We can leave tomorrow!"

-

The next day it was raining heavily but Kaida had a plan. She had purchased a special umbrella that she could strap to Cyndaquil's back. Admittedly, if he lit his flame then it would burn to a cinder, but she could always remove it when he needed to battle. This way Cyndaquil was protected from the rain and its back wouldn't be too wet if it needed to use fire moves in a battle. Also, the cold and wet tended to make it miserable. She didn't blame it.

When she had finished strapping the umbrella onto Cyndaquil's back she stood back to admire her handiwork. Then she squealed. Cyndaquil looked _adorable._ It also looked a little confused, but that just made it even sweeter. It was so cute…

Unfortunately it became extremely windy at around eleven o'clock and, after a particularly strong gust of wind, Cynadaquil went tumbling down a hill, blown away by the wind. Kaida shrieked and ran after it. She held it closely until the wind dropped and it was once again safe for Cyndaquil to walk with the umbrella on its back.

The next day the rain hadn't eased up at all. Now everyone was feeling grumpy. Even John was cross because he was having difficulties with the fire when he tried to make them all soup for breakfast. Finally he managed to make _something_ and had them all test it.

"What do you think of it then?" he asked.

Flo tasted it. She smacked her lips together. "Not enough salt."

John added a sprinkling more to the soup and stirred it.

"How about now?"

She tried it again. "No, it still needs more."

He added more salt.

"OK," John said. "Taste it now."

Flo tried it again and thought about it deeply. Nila and Kaida raised their eyebrows at the expression of concentration on her face.

"No, sorry," she said. "You've still got to add more salt."

John sighed and put even more salt in the soup. "And now?"

"You're close," Flo agreed after trying it once more.

John added yet more salt. He sat back with a satisfied look on his face.

"All right, everyone, taste it now." He smiled. "I have to say," he said happily, "that I really think I've sealed the deal this time."

Flo licked a little more soup off the spoon. She paused. Then she shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "Now it's too salty."

John's expression dropped and for a moment he looked like he might murder her. He dished out soup for everyone and ate it mulishly. Nila and Kaida tried it. It was disgustingly salty.

"Hey," Kaida said, "Come here, Flo."

Flo looked at her warily. "No."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Kaida said impatiently.

"That's always what you say right before you hurt me," Flo insisted.

"When have I _ever _said that before?" Kaida asked. "Look, just come over. Now!"

Flo scurried over. Kaida smacked her around the head.

"Ow!" Flo cried.

"Serves you right," Kaida said crossly.

The soup was gross because of Flo and now Kaida had to eat it.

"Has anyone seen my guidebook?" John asked.

Nobody had. John eventually found it in Kaida's bag, which was a bit odd, because John didn't think he had put it in there by accident and Kaida hardly would have stolen it.

They walked on a bit before stopping again. They hadn't got very far when John decided to make dinner and they released all of their Pokémon. Dunsparce appeared to be the only one who liked the rain – the clouds blocked out the sun and he was from a dark, damp cave – and so he went and slobbered around in it.

"It's hideous!" Flo whimpered, scuttling away from John's Pokémon. "Why did you catch it?"

"It's cool," John said, laughing at the expression on Flo's face.

"And he likes to freak you out," Nila added.

The weather cleared up by the next day. There were puddles on the ground, and there was the occasional drizzle, but on the whole it was nicer. At midday there was blue sky with white puffy clouds drifting lazily eastwards. They all sat out on the grass and Flo began to clean and talk to her egg.

"Hey, Kaida," Flo said thoughtfully after a while.

"What?" Kaida asked.

Her impatience came through in her tone. Flo didn't notice.

"Don't you think that cloud looks like a Buneary?"

Kaida looked briefly. "I don't see it."

"Look! It's right there! There is its ears and there is a little tail. Do you see it now?"

"No," Kaida said, bored. "This is boring."

"No it isn't! Looking at shapes in the clouds is cool. Hey, that one sort of looks like a Ponyta!"

"No, it looks like a deformed piece of space junk," Kaida said. "I'm gonna go help John with lunch."

A few moments later and Flo suddenly cried out, "Hey!"

"What now?" Kaida asked, irritably.

She wanted to kill Flo. Really.

"My necklace is gone!" Flo cried.

"Maybe you dropped it," Kaida suggested.

"Maybe you're wearing it," Nila said slowly, as if speaking to a stupid person.

Nila sniggered as Flo felt around her neck and pulled out a silver chain.

"No," Flo said. "Not this one. The other one was gold with a green flower. It was in here. I know it was."

Kaida sighed and they all began to hunt around for the necklace. They had no luck. It had probably fallen out of Flo's bag on the way and it was hopeless now. They would never find it.

It wasn't until Kaida pulled her Pokédex out of her bag that she spotted a glint of gold. She pulled it out and frowned. How on _earth_ did that get in there?

"Flo, I've found your necklace," Kaida said.

She held out the necklace and Flo gratefully received it.

"Where was it?" Flo asked.

"In my bag."

If Flo said anything about Kaida stealing it then Kaida thought she might do something drastic. Luckily, Flo just frowned.

"That's weird," she said. "The guidebook and now this. How are they getting there? Why would anyone want to put them there?"

"Well I don't know, do I?" Kaida said.

She looked at Nila. Nila looked offended.

"It wasn't me!" Nila said.

Kaida looked at Weepinbell. Perhaps it was a Pokémon. Weepinbell has been very depressed recently – not that she blamed it with Flo's behaviour – and perhaps it had decided to cause some mischief in revenge?

Nila laughed. "I think we're forgetting the real thief here."

She gestured to John's Hoothoot.

"Or has everyone else forgotten how we first met it?"

Nila thought back to the apple juice on her head. It had been a traumatic experience. Her hair had been all sticky and gross…

"What incident?" Flo asked.

She was ignored as Kaida and Nila looked at Hoothoot suspiciously and John rushed to defend his Pokémon.

"Hey," he objected. "Hoothoot has been very well behaved since then!"

Hoothoot turned its beak up, mimicking its owner in looking offended.

"That's all a façade," Nila said. "Really, it's still a kleptomaniac. Only this time it doesn't have a nest so it is just putting it in Kaida's bag."

"If it was the thief why wouldn't he just put it all in _my _bag?" John asked.

"Because you already have enough in that bag," Kaida said.

They all turned to look at John's backpack. It was huge and looked like it was bursting at the seams, yes, but there was an extraordinary amount shoved into that bag.

"Look," John said firmly. "It isn't Hoothoot."

The next day it was raining heavily again and Kaida hunted around for Cyndaquil's umbrella. It had been a strange find but completely worth it. Cyndaquil was protected from the mean rain and it looked so good in the process. So cute!

As she daydreamed, she hunted around her bag. However, after a few minutes she still couldn't find the umbrella. She frowned. She looked under the bag. She looked by her sleeping bag. She looked in Nila's bag. It was gone!

"Cyndaquil's umbrella!" she cried, shaking Nila's shoulders desperately.

"Go away," Nila groaned, trying to swat Kaida away.

Kaida ducked a flying fist and shook Nila harder. She knew that Nila was crabby and needed her sleep but, _seriously,_ this was important! The umbrella was gone! She couldn't believe her horrible luck. How could the thief have struck to take _this _of all things? It had been expensive and difficult to find! Now… gone! Cyndaquil needed it! Everything was ruined…

"Hey, what is this?" Flo said, confused.

She lifted something from beside her sleeping bag. It was the umbrella. Kaida gave a relieved sigh and lunged for it. However, when she got her hands on it, she realised that something was very, very wrong.

It had _holes_ in it.

Holes that were definitely caused by a set of sharp talons.

"John!" Kaida roared.

"Huh?!" John's voice sounded from the other tent. "What?"

"Your Hoothoot is _dead_!"

-

Kaida was forced to tuck Cyndaquil in her coat so that it would not get soaked as they continued their journey, walking along the muddy banks of a river. There were several fisherman perched miserably under mini marquees. It didn't look like they were having much success.

It was a different story for them. Pokémon seemed to be everywhere: a Caterpie flopped out of a tree in front of them, a Pidgey flapped noisily from a bush, a Sentret rushed by their feet. Then they saw something that made Flo squeal.

"It's cute!" she cried. "I want one."

Kaida raised her Pokédex. Apparently this was a Wooper. It was small and blue and had two strange things protruding from its head that sort of looked like television antennae.

"Well, go catch it then," Nila said, jerking her head towards it.

"But… I… I don't know how," Flo hesitated.

"You caught a Hoppip," John said.

"Uh," Flo said.

She looked at Kaida. Yes, that hadn't been a conventional catch. It hadn't taken much to acquire that particular Pokémon.

"Go, Hoppip!" Flo cried.

Hoppip burst from its Pokéball.

"Use… What does it know?"

"Splash," Kaida said quickly.

"Splash!"

Hoppip jerked up and down in the air. The Wooper looked bemused.

"Oh," Flo said. She looked at Kaida. "Is that the attack that is useless?"

"Yes," Kaida said. She muttered beneath her breath, "Idiot. I told you this."

Nila frowned. "Is that really the only attack it knows?"

"It is the only attack it _ever_ learns," Kaida said, giving Nila a significant look.

Nila raised her eyebrows but quieted.

"No it–" John began.

Kaida dug her heel into John's foot. He yelled out with pain.

"I guess I'll have to use Weepinbell," Flo said slowly. "Go Weepinbell."

Weepinbell didn't look particularly enthused as it went forwards towards the Wooper, which freaked out at the sight of it and dived in the river.

"What?!" Flo objected. "No fair!"

Nila rolled her eyes. Pokémon wasn't about _fairness_.

"Use Vine Whip," Kaida suggested. "You can use Weepinbell to pull Wooper out if you are quick."

"Yeah, do that," Flo said enthusiastically.

Weepinbell obeyed, dipping its vines into the water. It managed to find Wooper and dragged it to land. It then hit it with the Vine Whip attack, which was extra effective as Wooper, as a dual type, was extremely weak against grass. However, Wooper was quite tough. It quickly shot back a Water Gun, which blasted into Weepinbell.

"Vine Whip again," Flo ordered.

Wooper dodged the vines and used Mud Shot. It hit Weepinbell in the eyes and it blinked. Weepinbell moves forward sluggishly for another Vine Whip. Wooper managed to dodge the first vine but the second took out its feet.

"Now use Sleep Powder," Flo ordered.

Weepinbell sent the dust fly at Wooper. Wooper was hit and struggled on, staggering from side to side, before it collapsed. Flo whooped.

"Now the Pokéball," Kaida whispered.

"Oh, yeah," Flo said, grabbing a Pokéball.

She threw the Pokéball at the Wooper. It was sucked into the Pokéball, which flashed several times before stopping. Flo had caught the Wooper.

"Well done, Weepinbell," Flo praised. She cocked her head to one side and said thoughtfully, "I guess that you are stronger now…"

Weepinbell preened happily as she petted it. Then her mood swung.

"I still miss my little Bellsprout though," Flo whimpered.

She looked like she might cry. Weepinbell deflated.


	10. Chapter 10: little shop of horrors

**A/N: **We are going back through to edit some parts of the story. We have about eighteen chapters written, and stopped recently for exams, but now those are over we can continue to edit and write.

Anyway... Let some random crack commence.

* * *

**10. Little shop of horrors with a side of dreams.**

As the four continued on the road to Azalea town, they were confronted with an odd sight. They had released all of their Pokémon, ready to stop for lunch, when they stumbled across a fairly large building which had been put up in amongst the never ending rows of trees.

"Well, this isn't in the guide book," John said, confused.

John turned the book sideways and upside down, looking for a sign that a large shop was on their route.

"When was it written?" Flo asked, trying to get to the book. She had no luck as John was still waving it around.

"It has failed me," John cried dramatically. "How can I trust anything it says again?"

"Is this a guidebook or a relationship?" Kaida asked Nila, looking at John with a puzzled expression.

He had now thrown the book at Flo and refused to look at it as she tried to point out it was written two years ago.

"Me thinks they need some marriage counselling," Kaida muttered.

She nudged Nila in the back. Nila had been looking upon the scene in disbelief.

"Ah, right, you baby." Nila sighed. "It got one thing wrong and you are going to hold it against it for the rest of your life?"

"I guess not," John whispered.

He was still obviously hurt that his precious guide had lied to him. He grabbed it from Flo and held it close to his chest, as if giving it a hug.

"Um, OK... I'm going this way," Kaida said, quickly pointing to the building, desperate not to watch John and his guide book make up.

"Yeah, yeah I'll come with you," Nila said quickly.

Nila pulled a disgusted face at the scene before hurrying off after Kaida and her Pokémon. Flo was also not keen to see this display of affection and raced after the other two girls.

"Wow!" Kaida gasped as she entered the building.

"It's a shop?" Nila said, surprised, as she caught up to Kaida.

"You know what that means." Kaida grinned.

Flo watched in amazement as the grin was returned in equal enthusiasm by Nila. It was a strange, strange look on Nila's face.

"Shopping time!" they both squealed, jumping up and down.

"OK. I don't know just what happened," Flo said, looking deeply disturbed, "but I'm guessing it's not good for my health."

She poked and pulled her ears, which appeared to have been offended by Kaida and Nila's squealing. Nila gave her one last Cheshire cat type grin before running off into the store with everyone's Pokémon following her. Kaida laughed at her friend's madness before turning to Flo, but ended up laughing at her shaking figure.

"You'll get used to the smiles and weird faces after a while," Kaida said.

She gave Flo one last laugh before running into the depths of the shop.

The shop only consisted of two floors but they were both huge. Kaida wondered at the sight, there were a fair few shoppers in there, which surprised her as they were out in the middle of a route. After she had browsed for a while, she grabbed a basket and decided to find her Pokémon so that she could get some custom things for them. However, she found not a Pokémon in sight, even when Flo had caught up to her. She too had found none of their Pokémon.

"Maybe they are all with Nila?" Flo suggested, standing on tiptoes to try to see over the shelves.

This, Kaida thought, was pointless, as she had tried that tactic earlier and found she was too small to see and, since Flo was smaller then her, it definitely wouldn't work.

They found Nila in the food corner staring at the fridge. John already had a large basket full of food that he guessed would keep them going for a while.

"Would you just choose?" John moaned.

"But the choices," Nila whined at him.

"It is apple juice versus milk. It isn't which move to teach the ultimate Pokémon or anything," John groaned, slapping his head with the palm of his hand.

"It's not _just_ apple juice versus milk," Nila hissed. She looked back at the choices with eyes so wide that she looked like a Jigglypuff. She continued, "It is organic apple juice versus vanilla milk."

"Hey, guys, sorry to break up the life or death decision," Kaida interrupted.

"No, please do, for the love of all that is Pokémon, please do," John begged.

"Right..." Kaida said slowly. "Anyway, do you guys have any of the Pokémon?"

"No, I thought they were wandering downstairs with you," John said.

John rubbed his head, unsure, before turning to ask Nila.

"Oh for the love of…" John exclaimed. "Stop stroking the fridge!"

"But they are calling to me," Nila said.

Her eyes were still massive. The proportions were freaky.

"Someone just kill me now," John cried, rubbing his eyes. "I'm stuck in a shop with a complete idiot!"

"She's not an idiot," Kaida argued. "She just likes milk a bit too much. She's, uh, a bit of a cat."

Flo nodded in return, but still edged away from Nila, who was now purring.

"Right," Flo said, clearing her throat. "Now let's go find our Pokémon."

As Nila still refused to budge from the food area, they had left her to finish the shopping. Armed with John's list, he hoped that she would at least move from the fridge to pick up everything else. John decided he would cover the rest of the upstairs to search for their Pokémon, while Kaida and Flo split up downstairs. Their mission proved successful straight away, as they found Wooper playing on the escalator. Standing on one step as it rose, then jumping down when it felt it was high enough. It looked thoroughly amused.

"Simple tastes, simple trainer," Kaida murmured to herself as Flo struggled to get through the crowd of people to get her Wooper.

Upon retrieving Wooper, Flo placed it in her basket, where it rocked happily back and forth.

"I hope they don't make me pay for Wooper," Flo pondered.

Kaida restrained herself from whacking the idiot girl.

A scream echoed across the floor.

"Ah, stupid, blinking Slowpoke," Kaida cursed.

Kaida tore towards the screaming to find Gastly terrorising women in the changing rooms. Kaida looked in horror as she saw whenever a woman came out to look in the mirror Gastly was the only thing she could see, pulling gruesome faces.

"Gastly." Kaida shouted. "Get over here now!"

She scowled as Gastly floated over, looking disappointed that Kaida hadn't seen the funny side.

After another fifteen minutes of walking around, they had found Totodile splashing in the water fountain, Mareep snuggled in a basket of wool, and Hoppip "splashing" around in a display of flowers.

"Where is my baby Cyndaquil?" Kaida whined. "I hope it's OK. What if he got lost?" She dropped her basket containing Totodile in horror. "What if someone stole him?!"

"Cyndaquil is probably fine," Flo assured her. "Let's just keep looking."

Kaida nodded.

Flo sighed, swinging her Pokémon lovingly. She continued, "Now apologise to Totodile for dropping him… And I swear I just saw something over there…"

Flo handed Kaida her basket before disappearing into the gardening area. Kaida, meanwhile, helped a dazed Totodile back into her basket, apologising for her sudden outburst, to which it just quacked in acceptance.

A yell was then projected over the shop. Kaida had to hold back the laughs as Flo reappeared with Weepinbell attached to her arm.

"Look, I have a Weepinbell for an arm!" she cried

"Maybe it doesn't like your arm warmers?" Kaida suggested, now trying to shush the manically laughing Totodile.

"Impossible!" Flo said, aghast at the very idea. She added, proudly, "No one can resist my lovely arm warmers."

She saluted with her free arm, showing off her bright pink arm warmer.

Kaida decided to ignore her. Instead she turned to more important matters.

"But I still don't have my Cyndaquil!" She stomped her feet. "Oh Cyndaquil where art thou Cyndaquil?" she sang loudly

"I am here, dear Kaida," a familiar voice said

"Wait… Cyndaquil can't talk," Kaida said, confused.

She turned around slowly to be confronted with her Cyndaquil in the arms of the one and only Matt. His Growlithe barked at her happily.

"Very right," Matt said, "they can't, but I guessed that would be what he wanted to say."

Matt smiled, handing over a wiggling Cyndaquil as it tried to get to Kaida.

"But how did you know he was mine?" Kaida spluttered, still in shock that he stood in front of her.

"Just a gut feeling," Matt replied. "I mean, I have seen it before once. Then I heard your lovely singing voice and I knew it had to be you. Moving on from nursery rhymes I see."

Kaida bent her head so that her hair covered her cheeks. They felt so hot that she thought she would burst into flames.

"So umm... What are you doing here?" she asked tentatively.

"You know, just shopping."

He pushed back his hair and grinned again as his fringe fell gracefully just above his eyes. Kaida almost melted on the spot. Unfortunately she was brought back to reality when Flo butted in.

Flo grinned manically. "Yeah we were shopping too, weren't we _Kay._"

_Oh, she did not just call me Kay, _Kaida thought, thoroughly annoyed that Flo was ruining her perfect moment. She shot one of her most deadly glares.

Matt nodded before turning back to Kaida. He had just opened his mouth when Flo interrupted again.

"Hey, you remember me," Flo said. "From Violet Town. We met a few days ago."

"Oh, umm, yeah," Matt said uncomfortably. "You were wearing a lime green Tutu? Fee wasn't it?"

"Flo actually," she said, unperturbed. "And, yes, that was for my dance act which was tragically ruined when my Bellsprout evolved!"

Flo waved the Weepinbell that was still attached to her arm.

"And," Flo continued, pointing at Kaida dramatically, "it was all because of her!"

"You evolved her Bellsprout?" Matt asked, half sounding amused and half sounding amazed at Flo's dramatics.

"It was an accident," Kaida pleaded.

Why, oh, why was Flo embarrassing her in front of Matt? What had Kaida ever done to have the universe hate her so much? Why was it spiting her this way?

"You threw a bin at me!" Flo howled.

Matt snorted. "You threw a bin at her?"

"She deserved it." Kaida folded her arms.

Matt laughed and joked, "So it is true what they say about redheads then." Then, more seriously, he added, "Did she insult Cyndaquil?"

Kaida grinned. He had only met her twice – and that was including this time – but already he knew her likes and dislikes.

"No, it's because I said–"

Kaida's eyes went wide. She couldn't let him know the real reason. Luck was on her side today though when Flo and Weepinbell were sent flying by a wide eyed Nila. Yeah, Nila could be all stoic and unimpressed until it came to shopping. Then her inner beast was unleashed and there was really no stopping the craziness.

"Look what I found!" she said happily, holding up a lacy black bra and knickers set "It's in the sale and in your size. Do you want it?"

"Nila! I'm a bit busy!" Kaida screeched, pointing at an amused looking Matt.

"Oh. It's you again," Nila acknowledged, before turning back to Kaida, thoroughly uninterested in the fact that the love of Kaida's life was less than a metre away. "But look, it's less then half price!" She then bent in and whispered, "Matt seems to like it!" before quirking her eyebrows suggestively.

"All right, fine" Kaida growled back in a hushed voice.

Nila grinned. Her persuasiveness had worked. She ran back to the clothing area.

"By the way," she called back. "They were having a sale on tampons so I picked us up a load. I know you are on soon."

"That's it! I'm going to kill her!" Kaida fumed.

They continued their shopping trip after John had freed Flo from the grasp of Weepinbell. He had found the remaining Pokémon upstairs, playing in the children's ball pit. Kaida thought she was in heaven as she walked around alone with Matt, their fire Pokémon trotting along beside them. She was even able to get Cyndaquil a new umbrella, which it was delighted with. That horrible Hoothoot wouldn't get it this time…

She also found Gastly its own personalised bowl, which was black with purple smoke swirls. Needless to say, she made it promise that it wouldn't try to eat the bowl again. Matt suggested she pick up an Everstone for Flo so that if she got another Bellsprout she could prevent it evolving forever. He himself lamented that he couldn't find a Fire Stone – they were in short supply in Johto for some reason – as he discussed the pros and cons with Kaida about evolving his Growlithe. Kaida relished in every moment but she knew it would have to end sooner or later.

As everyone met outside after the shopping was over, Kaida tried to summon the courage to ask Matt for his number. Cyndaquil stared up at her, confused to see its normally calm trainer – well except for the _occasional _outburst – bouncing on the balls of her feet and playing with her fingers. Nila, meanwhile, was ecstatic about her purchases (although her face had now returned to its normal grumpy expression much to Flo's relief) and was sitting on the grass with Chikorita and Mareep, making her way through a packet of large, soft cookies with the vanilla milkshake bottle sat beside her. John was talking to Matt about the best way through Union Cave as he had the latest copy of John's guide. Apparently they had finished stringing up the lights now so there was a direct and easy path to Azalea Town.

"Sooo," Flo trilled, dancing over to the frantic Kaida with a large grin on her face, the bin incident apparently forgotten. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Kaida whined, pulling at the skin of her cheeks, giving her a strange appearance.

Matt was now saying goodbye to John and Nila. He was heading back up to Violet City – he had come south to look for a supposed of rare Pokémon – while they were going to continue their route towards Union Cave.

_It's now or never, _she thought, sighing. Flo danced passed Kaida to sit beside Nila on the grass, amused by what was going to happen. Nila was still too busy eating to comment, but she did watch the scene out of the corner of her eye with some interest. Kaida gulped. Matt was two steps away…

_Here goes nothing._

"CanIhaveyournumberplease?" Kaida said, far too quickly, as Matt looked on, extremely confused.

"What?" he questioned.

"She wants your number, idiot!" Nila shouted, as she continued to pick out the chocolate chips from her cookie.

Kaida blushed, mortified.

"Oh sure," Matt said, smiling. "I was going to give it to you before I left Cherrygrove, but I forgot at the cafe and didn't know where you were staying."

Kaida had to stop herself from doing a victory dance. Lugia was smiling on her today.

As they were exchanging numbers, Flo put her hands in the shape of a heart and began to mime to a song that Kaida could guess she didn't want to hear.

"What's she doing?" Matt asked, bewildered.

"Umm. It's a sign for, er, good luck," Kaida lied, glaring at Flo.

"Oh right."

Matt smiled and returned the hand heart to Flo and mimed the words "good luck."

"Oh. My. God" Flo waved her arms like a bird. "I think he fancies me!"

Nila, who had been observing the scene, snorted.

"Yeah, what gave you that idea?" she demanded. "The fact he forgot your name or the way he hasn't taken his eyes off Kaida all day?"

Flo wondered briefly how Nila knew that Matt had forgotten her name before brushing this aside, deciding that Nila was just all knowing. She knew the answer to the questions...

"It's the arm warmers," Flo concluded. "No man can resist them!"

She held her arms out so that they could admire them. John quirked an eyebrow and muttered something about them being more of a man repellent. Flo remained oblivious.

"Bye guys!" Matt said. "See you again."

Matt waved before bending down to hug Kaida and whispering something in her ear.

"Bye, Matt," Nila, Flo, and John called back

"Bye, Growlithe," Flo added.

The dog Pokémon barked in return and then raced off after its master.

"Oh, _Ho-oh_, she's stuck." Nila sighed.

Nila was slightly amused by how still Kaida had gone. Her cheeks were now glowing so red that Nila thought they resembled Pokéballs. She would have to point that out later. Cyndaquil was tugging the bottom of Kaida's combat trousers, looking for attention, and probably believing her to have been victim to a horrible paralysing attack. After all, the last time it had seen Matt, Kaida had acted more than strangely…

"I'll get her," John said.

He raced over and picked Kaida up fireman-style, which she did protest loudly about, and he then proceeded to throw Kaida and himself down onto the grass in front of Nila and Flo.

"Spill," Nila ordered.

"He hugged me." Kaida sighed dreamily.

"Yes, I have eyes. I saw that," Nila said dryly. "But what did he say?"

"He said that he had fun today and to call him if I ever needed help or someone to talk to."

Kaida blushed as she remembered the scene and drifted off into a daydream about them travelling the world together.

John blinked. "Well, on that note, I think its time we set up camp for dinner."

John strolled on down the road. Flo tugged Kaida up and led her after him, amused by Kaida's daydream state, and pleased that she didn't get injured for once.

"I've eaten too much," Nila moaned. "Someone carry me."

But everyone continued walking. Unfortunately for her, Totodile had been behind her and, with one almighty kick, made her roll down the slope of grass.

"I'm going to strangle that thing," Nila snapped, as she ran down the road after Totodile and the rest of their, er, _merry _group.


	11. Chapter 11: cave of madness

**11. Cave of madness and alternate ways to catch a Pokémon.**

Eventually they reached Union Cave, which they would have to pass through to reach Azalea Town without taking a large detour. It was dark – though not compared to Dark Cave surprisingly enough – and John whipped out his large, beam torches and handed them out.

"Whoah," said a voice.

They turned around to see a tall, robust man with hiking gear on.

"You ought to be careful if you are going to go through there," the man said. "A lot of people have been hurt recently in there."

"How?" John inquired.

"I don't know," the man said, stroking his beard. "Some sort of Pokémon attack."

The group exchanged glances.

"Well, we still have to go to Azalea Town," Kaida said decisively. "Besides, there are four of us and we have our Pokémon. We'll be fine."

The hiker shrugged and gestured to the cave. "Well, go ahead then. Make sure you stick to the lit up path though. It's when people went exploring that the accidents seemed to happen."

"Trust me!" Flo said. "If I have _anything_ to say about it then we'll be in that cave and straight out again as soon as possible."

She shuddered strongly at the thought of ugly cave Pokémon that might jump out and attack her. They would be there in swarms, she thought, disgusted. She certainly wasn't going to go nosing around deeper, darker parts of the cave, even if they hadn't been warned of these attacks. Straight in and straight out…

"What are you talking about?" John demanded. "Caves are fun." His eyes shone. "So much to discover!"

When everyone gave him funny looks he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um," he said, coughing. "But this time I guess we'll just have to go straight through."

They thanked the hiker for the advice and entered the cave. The lights on the wall meant they didn't have to use the torches at first but, when they got a little deeper into the cave, they did turn them on. They didn't need them but it was easier to walk that way.

Cyndaquil didn't like the dark, damp cave anymore than Kaida did. While she wasn't freaking out like Flo – who was swinging her torch around erratically and jumping at shadows – she much preferred the open air. In contrast, Nila didn't seem bothered, and John was ecstatic. He looked like he might slope off down other unlit paths a few times but caught himself and forced himself to continue on.

Time seemed to pass strangely inside the cave with the lack of natural light. However, after a while, they were interrupted by a shrill shriek. Kaida looked at Flo. No, it hadn't been her… It was too far away for that.

They heard the shriek again.

"I think it is coming from down here," John said, gesturing to one of the passages leading off to the side.

They peered into the inky darkness.

"We need to go and take a look," Kaida said.

"What?!" Flo said sharply. "No, no, no," she said. "We can't!"

"Someone might be in trouble!" Kaida shot back. "We can't just leave them."

"We can go to the other end of the tunnel and call the police," Flo suggested.

Nila shook her head. "Who knows how long that will take?"

"We need to go now," John said, wielding his torch like a weapon as he marched forward in the direction of the scream. He looked back once to say, "You can stay here."

Flo seemed to consider it but then realised she would be left all by herself. She scurried after the others, complaining all the way.

They reached a ladder. They were more common in caves nowadays as hikers put them in to aid people in their exploration. John tested its strength and then climbed down. Totodile leapt down from the top into his arms. Nila held Chikorita under one arm and managed to navigate down one handed, with the torch in her mouth, and Kaida kept Cyndaquil wrapped up in her coat so she had use of both hands. Flo's Pokémon were all in Pokéballs but this didn't stop her from almost slipping near the bottom. John quickly reached up to steady her.

They heard another scream and John broke into a run. He soon had to stop because the rocks were so slippery. There were pools of water around and it would be extremely dangerous if he slipped and fell. They carried on steadily until they emerged from behind a wall to find a large, dark underground lake. The source of the screaming was revealed as a little girl splashed desperately in the water, fighting to stay afloat.

"Go, Totodile!" John said. "Help that girl out!"

Kaida set Cyndaquil down on the rocks.

"Fire up your back," she ordered. "it will give us some more light."

Nila used Mareep to do the same. It sparked with electricity and provided a strange glow that aided the torches. She then looked to Flo.

"You can help," she prompted.

"Oh, yeah," said Flo.

She sent out two Pokémon. She ordered Wooper to help Totodile and Weepinbell to use its vines to help pull the girl in when she was closer to the shore.

They all dragged the girl out and sat her near Cyndaquil so she could be near the warmth and dry out. The cave was cold and the water on her body would leave her freezing. The last thing the girl needed was to get hypothermia.

"What happened?" Flo asked the girl.

She slipped into a strange motherly figure as she patted the girl's wet hair. She could have been more than eight. She was far too young to be exploring these caves by herself.

"I was just playing explorers," the girl sobbed. "Then I heard this strange noise and came down here and a big, mean Pokémon pulled me in the water."

"What kind of Pokémon?" Kaida asked curiously.

"It was big and blue and had a long neck and a shell thing on its back."

Kaida pulled out her Pokédex and flicked through it. She eventually landed on a Lapras and held the Pokédex up to the girl to check.

"Was this it?" she asked.

It best fitted the vague description.

"Yeah," the girl sniffed. "I think so."

"What is a Lapras doing in a _cave_?" Kaida wondered.

"I don't know," Nila said, "but it really should be in the sea."

"Someone has to move it," Kaida agreed.

John nodded in agreement but pointed to the little girl.

"We need to get her out of here first," he said. "The Lapras can be dealt with later."

At that point the water began to move quite rapidly and they all stepped backwards as the lake swelled towards them. A large body emerged from the water. It was the Lapras and it had a frenzied look in its eyes. It was practically frothing at the mouth.

"Aaw," Flo said. "It's so cute!"

"Not the time, Flo," Kaida warned. "Really, _really _not the time."

"Maybe we should run," John suggested.

They all staggered backwards. John tucked the little girl under his arm. They were about to turn when the Lapras opened its mouth, someone yelled to get down, and an Ice Beam attack was shot over their heads.

Nila swore.

"Chikorita!" she ordered. "Razor Leaf!"

This bought them some time as they continued to move towards the wall. From there they could reach the ladder and get up the stairs. However, the Lapras fired another Ice Beam, blocking their way.

"Totodile, Water Gun!" John ordered.

"You too, Wooper," Flo said.

That blasted the Lapras backwards and they skidded over the ice that had formed on the floor due to the attack and hid under the wall. Flo returned Weepinbell and Wooper to their Pokéballs after a quick, "Good Work."

Nila poked her head around the wall. The Lapras had dived back under the water.

"OK, let's go," Kaida said.

They made their way back towards the ladder. They had almost reached it when the pool of water near it began to ripple. Then, abruptly, Lapras burst from it. Apparently all the pools of water were connected.

"Dodge!" Kaida yelped.

They jumped out of the way of another powerful Ice Beam attack.

"Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!" Kaida ordered.

It wasn't very effective but it managed to clear up some of the ice that was blocking their way.

"Can't you electrocute it with Mareep?" Flo asked Nila desperately. "It is weak against that."

"There is water _everywhere_ in this cave," Nila retorted. "We'd all be shocked." She looked at Chikorita. "Chikorita, use Razor Leaf again."

"Water Gun!" John ordered.

Flo took the whimpering girl under her arm and attempted to shield her while the others fought against the Lapras, which then sent a jet of water flying from its mouth.

"This thing is _insane_," Kaida yelled. "Stupid water Pokémon."

Totodile chattered crossly at that. He performed a mini dance of rage before shooting another Water Gun at the Lapras. Despite all the attacks, however, Lapras seemed unaffected. It dove back under water again and sent a wave of water towards them. They all stumbled backwards.

"Go, Gastly," Kaida said. An idea entered her head. "Gastly, use Hypnosis."

Gastly's eyes swirled and Lapras was caught in its gaze. A minute later it was snoozing.

"What do we do now?" John asked. "We can't just leave it here. It is terrorising the cave."

"It needs to be in the sea," Kaida said.

"Someone should catch it. We can release it later," Nila suggested.

"OK," Kaida said, checking for spare Pokéballs.

She found one and threw it at the Lapras. They all crossed their fingers. If this didn't work then Lapras would probably wake up and go on another rampage. How it had got down in the cave was beyond them. Someone had to have released it there, which was an act of extreme cruelty. Who could tell how long it had been stuck down there?

Then the ball stopped flashing. Lapras was caught. Kaida collected the Pokéball and they walked towards the ladder, avoiding the slippery ice. John helped the little girl climb up the ladder and then they all climbed up into the ground level of the cave.

The girl was shivering so John wrapped his jacket around her and they walked back to the lit path.

"I'm scared," she said weakly.

"It's fine now," Flo said reassuringly. "We'll get you home. What's your name?"

"Holly," the girl said.

"That's a nice name," Flo said comfortingly. "We'll get you home. Don't worry."

"OK," the girl said in a small, cute voice.

They walked with quicker pace down the rest of the tunnel towards Azalea Town. At the end of the tunnel they heard voices and shouts and they came face to face with several police officers who shone their torches into their eyes irritatingly.

"Is that Holly?" one of the police officers asked.

"It is," another confirmed.

A police woman with blue hair stepped forward and held a hand out to the girl.

"We've been looking for you," she said. "Your brother is extremely worried."

"I'm sorry," the girl said weakly. Then she burst into tears.

Flo hugged her tightly.

"She needs to go somewhere she can dry up," Nila said.

"Well I have a police car outside," the blue haired woman offered. "It isn't big enough for all of you. Are any of you hurt?"

"No, we're fine. We can walk," John said.

"You won't get to Azalea in one day that way," the woman said. "Holly ran off on a camping trip and we got called out…"

"I wanted to find some cool Pokémon," Holly said, sniffling. "I'm sorry!"

"Well you shouldn't have run off," Flo admonished. "But I think you need to go with them and find your brother now. He'll be extremely worried about you."

They went outside the cave to find the police car waiting with its sirens flashing but silent.

"We'll need you to come and make a statement at the police station in Azalea Town," the woman police officer said. "Is there anything urgent that I need to know now?"

"Um, there was a Lapras terrorising people in the lower levels of the cave but we knocked it out and I caught it," Kaida said.

"It probably just wanted to get out but couldn't," Nila said. "That would drive anyone insane."

"How did it get down there?" the police officer asked. She paused and answered her own question. "Someone must have released it down there. The cruelty of people. They should be punished."

They all nodded in agreement.

The male police officers had wrapped a towel around Holly and she waved goodbye as they drove away. Flo sniffed. Apparently her sudden maternal urges had left her feeling miserable now the child was gone.

"I'm exhausted," Nila said. "And hungry."

"When aren't you hungry?" Kaida wondered aloud.

"I could say the same to you," Nila sniped.

They made camp shortly from the cave. Kaida patted the Pokéball with Lapras in. It would not be wise to release Lapras here but she didn't want to leave it in there for too long. Nila was right. The poor creature had been treated horribly. Stuck in the horrible, dank caves with no sunlight. It needed to be free on the sea. Until they could reach this sea she supposed ponds and lakes and rivers would do. It might react angrily in its confusion at first, but they had to help it.

But she could think about all of that depressing stuff a little later. John was making an impressive array of foods including hot dogs. Yum. She had to get to them before Flo did.

-

John still wanted to explore more of the cave before they went to Azalea Town. Flo, however, insisted she would stay by the camp and Kaida decided to stay with her. She suggested a casual Pokémon battle so they could train their Pokémon up a bit while Nila and John went back to Union Cave.

"I don't know," Flo said hesitantly. "You've done more training stuff than me."

"Which is exactly why we should have a battle," Kaida insisted. "How about you use Wooper and I'll use Cyndaquil? Then you'll have the type advantage. Wooper knows Mud Shot and Water Gun."

"Fine," Flo sighed.

She released Wooper. Kaida sent Cyndaquil forward. She was looking forward to testing Cyndaquil's speed and evasion against something it was weak against.

"Cyndaquil, be ready to dodge," Kaida said.

Cyndaquil nodded its head as the flames burst onto its back.

Wooper looked around, slightly confused, and then opened his mouth and sent out a Water Gun attack on Flo's command. Cyndaquil leapt in the air. It landed several feet away and quickly dodged another Water Gun.

"Your Wooper is pretty tough," Kaida commented.

It was sending out Water Gun without tiring. However, Kaida was confident that her Cyndaquil was stronger. It was dodging without tiring too.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack!" she instructed.

Cyndaquil was close to Wooper and was able to whip in and send it tumbling backwards. Cyndaquil then darted away to avoid Wooper's retaliation.

"Wooper, Water Gun then Mud Shot," Flo ordered.

Cyndaquil jumped above the first Water Gun but the second attack hit it and it went flying backwards. Kaida winced. The attack was super effective. But Cyndaquil was strong and it got up straight away and dodged the next Water Gun. Now Wooper was looking like it was tiring – even if it was only by a little – and Kaida felt triumph. They could outlast Wooper. Definitely.

"Quick Attack again!"

Cyndaquil hit into Wooper but this time Wooper responded with its own attack. It slammed into Cyndaquil at the same time and they both went flying backwards.

"What was that?" Flo asked.

"I think that was Slam," Kaida mused. Then her mind snapped back to the battle. "Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel on the ground around Wooper."

Cyndaquil set a blaze of fire spinning around Flo's Pokémon. Wooper turned around, confused.

"Water Gun it out," Flo ordered.

"Quick Attack now!"

Cyndaquil hit Wooper as it started its Water Gun attack. Wooper went tumbling into the flames. This fire wasn't very effective but it still hurt Wooper. The small, blue Pokémon stood up again and staggered around. The flames were still burning. It couldn't see Cyndaquil anymore, since Cyndaquil could pass through the flames more easily and had jumped over and outside of them.

"Keep attacking with Quick Attack," Kaida said.

Cyndaquil would jump in and out and catch Wooper unaware. One time it narrowly avoided a Water Gun but, for the most part, the plan was a success. Cyndaquil was so quick that Wooper didn't have a chance to put out the flames and it couldn't see where Cyndaquil was coming from. Flo looked stumped. Wooper looked weakened.

"Maybe we should stop now," Kaida suggested.

"Yeah," Flo said.

They let the flames die out and Flo hugged the slightly charred Wooper to her. She praised it for its battling while Kaida did the same to Cyndaquil. It lapped up the attention and snuggled in her lap.

Meanwhile, in the caves, Nila was regretting the decision to walk around with John. He had his tool kit out and was examining the walls. He kept telling her about the different properties of the rock and how the caves were formed when different rocks were there since someone were more resistant to the corroding of water. Nila knew most of this already but it did not mean she was at all interested in it. Or, at least, not when it was John who was talking about it anyway…

"I'm going to look around by myself," Nila told him. "You have fun with your rock."

She left John tapping away at the wall with Totodile prancing around behind him. Chikorita trailed behind Nila. It did not look impressed with the cave. It was dark and gloomy and Nila supposed she couldn't blame a grass type Pokémon for feeling that way.

Chikorita warded away a few Zubat and Geodude as they walked by using its Razor Leaf attack. However, when Nila offered Chikorita some food, they seemed to attack even more Pokémon, which tended to be more stubborn. One particular Sandshrew was refusing to leave, no matter how many times it was hit by Chikorita's Razor Leaf. It was apparently ravenous.

"Go away," Nila said, waving her arms. "Chikorita, try tackling it."

Chikorita obeyed and Sandshrew responded by a strange dark glowing slashing attack. Nila's eyes widened fractionally.

"Was that?"

Chikorita attempted the Tackle attack again and was rebuffed by the glowing claws.

"Night Slash!" Nila said, recognising the dark move.

She hadn't realised Sandshrew could learn this move normally. How had this Sandshrew managed to learn it? She didn't know and she wasn't sure she cared at that precise moment. Now she knew that she had to catch it.

"OK. We want to catch this one now," Nila told Chikorita. "Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita sent leaves flying. Sandshrew managed to knock a few down using Night Slash but most hit it.

"I'll feed you _a lot_ if I catch you," Nila whispered, hoping that would tempt the Pokémon.

She was seemingly ignored as Sandshrew used Swift and Chikorita was struck by the flying stars. It would have been impossible to dodge that attack.

"Come on, Chikorita," Nila encouraged. "Another Razor Leaf."

That Razor Leaf seemed to do it. Sandshrew struggled around, dazed, and Nila took the opportunity to throw a Pokéball at it. It flashed several times before stopping. Nila walked over and picked it up. A Sandshrew with a dark move. The trip to the caves with John droning on had been worth it after all.

She returned to find John now tapping at another piece of rock. Thankfully he agreed it was time to leave the cave and go back to the camp. They had to make a start on reaching Azalea Town so they could talk to the police officer about the incident in the cave. They couldn't dawdle too much.

They found Flo and Kaida packing away the camp when they got back. Flo had got caught in one of the tents and was hopping around on one leg, attempting to extract herself and failing miserably. Kaida was laughing too hard to be of much use. Nila snickered. John had to jump to the rescue _again_.

"Fun trip?" Kaida asked Nila.

Kaida smiled at the thought of John nattering on to a very unimpressed Nila.

"I caught a Sandshrew," Nila replied. "It has a dark move."

"That was the only reason you caught it, wasn't it?"

"It might have been," Nila said evasively.

She released the Pokémon. Sandshrew stood before them, looking a little confused.

"We work together and I feed you," Nila said succinctly.

Sandshrew paused a moment and then nodded its head.

Kaida laughed at the interaction. It looked like Nila and her Sandshrew already shared a lot in common. This observation was furthered when Nila scowled at Sandshrew for trying to steal her cheese and pickle sandwich. She gave it a muffin instead and they both calmed down.

Then Kaida realised that Nila had given Sandshrew _her _muffin and things were decidedly _not _calm after that. Unfortunately, Nila was taller and had longer legs, which meant she was faster. She managed to get away. But Kaida swore that Nila would buy her a muffin in Azalea Town or revenge would be swift.


	12. Chapter 12: Slowpoke pyjamas

**12. Bad cooking and Slowpoke pyjamas.**

Flo was _singing_. If she didn't shut up then Nila was going to have to utilise John's frying pan. She couldn't stand people singing. Her eye twitched violently. Kaida noticed this and started to look worried. This was going to end in a bloodbath.

"Does anyone have a cookie?" Flo asked randomly.

Thinking it would shut her up, even if only temporarily, Kaida lobbed a cookie towards her. It hit Flo in the head but she managed to catch it before it fell to the ground.

"I said I wanted a cookie," she said. "not a potentially hazardous projectile."

"Well you got both," Nila sniped. "Now stop complaining. And stop singing. Or I will attack you."

Flo's eyes widened and she nibbled furiously at the cookie. However, by the time she had finished, she seemed to have forgotten Nila's threat and started to belt out another tune. Nila let out a strangled scream – she had snapped – and body tackled Flo to the ground.

"Ouch!" Flo wailed.

She had hit the ground hard and probably bruised her side.

"I warned you!" Nila snarled.

"She did," Kaida said unhelpfully.

John watched the scene with amazement.

Nila stood up and brushed herself off. "Next time I will pull your hair. _Hard_."

John dropped back to talk to Kaida as Nila stomped ahead.

"She's, uh, a little homicidal at times then?" John whispered.

"You don't know the half of it," Kaida muttered back.

Flo dropped back as well. "Will she go psycho if I whistle?"

Kaida was astounded. "Are you really that daft?"

John laughed. "Do you want the truth or a lie?"

Flo narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. "I'm bored. I need to do something."

"You can be silent," Nila called from ahead.

"Ears of a bat!" Kaida hissed in warning. "Ears of a bat!"

At lunch time Kaida and Nila had a quick skirmish between Gastly and Sandshrew. The only move that affected Gastly was Sandshrew's Night Slash and this was super effective. Gastly could mostly evade Sandshrew's efforts but after a few hard hits they decided to stop. They didn't want to train their Pokémon too harshly.

"You know," John said thoughtfully. "Someone else should really cook."

"We help, um, sometimes," Kaida said weakly.

"Well it isn't really fair," John said.

"OK," Nila said. "I'll cook tomorrow."

The next day they ate lunch.

A minute later it was unanimously voted that John should cook all meals from that moment on.

"I think I have food poisoning," Flo groaned.

"You had one bite and spat it out," Nila said. "Don't be such a baby."

She sounded a little too cheerful for someone who had almost poisoned them all. Then again, perhaps this was because she had had more sense to eat any of the food. Kaida had known that Nila was a bad cook – she remembered burnt cookies and an exploding toaster for starters – but she hadn't realised she was _this _bad. Her stomach was horribly queasy. John was complaining he had stomach cramps.

"Now you know how girls feel once a month," Nila said happily.

"Shut up!" John groaned. "Shut up…"

Yes. Nila was enjoying this just a little too much.

It took them a few hours to recover from the traumatising experience that was Nila's cooking. Kaida felt a bit bad – she probably should have thought to warn the others – and they later decided she would help John out from time to time.

"I can make desserts," she said. "That's about it."

Nila popped up next to her. Her eyes were scarily big. "Brownies?" she demanded.

Kaida pointed out that it was a bit difficult to make brownies over a fire. That was even if she had the correct ingredients.

"When we get to Azalea Town we can find you an oven," Nila said confidently.

Kaida sighed. It looked like she was going to be stuck in the kitchen for a while then.

As they neared Azalea Town they saw a curious sight. There was an old, half-broken sign that, in tiny scratches, read "Slowpoke Well." Behind the sign were large, crumbling grey bricks. They all went over to the well and peered down. The bottom was dark and it was almost impossible to see anything.

"I love wells!" Flo grinned. "Hello," she yelled down, smiling in satisfaction as her voice echoed off the walls.

"Why do we travel with the simpleton again?" Nila sighed as Kaida shrugged her shoulders.

"Cookies!" Flo sang down the well, but her echo changed.

"Cookies? I would like a cookie."

"What?" Flo jumped back.

"Please?" The strange voice pleaded.

John got his torch out and shone it down. They could see very little – rocks and a little water – and then his torch fell upon a solid body. John squinted. It was moving.

"Hello?" he called.

His voice echoed strangely around the sides of the well.

A moment later a voice called back. It was small and feminine. The age was hard to ascertain but the person was probably young.

"Hello!"

"Um…" John muttered, surprised.

"Help!" the voice then called. "I fell down the well!" There was a sniffle. "I think I've broken something. My ankle is all funny."

"Fell down the well?" Nila mouthed to Kaida incredulously.

Kaida shrugged her shoulders.

"OK," John said. "I'll run to Azalea Town and tell the police they need to get her out. Someone climb down there and wait with her."

"Not me," Flo said quickly.

Ugh, the cold, wet, slimy, darkness, Flo thought. No thanks.

Nila rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go."

She accepted a torch from John.

"Me too," Kaida said. She called down. "Is the ladder sturdy? How did you fall?"

"It's fine," the voice confirmed. "I just slipped… I was sleepwalking. I think… I'm not sure."

Nila's eyebrows rose. Nevertheless, she went towards the ladder and shook it a little. It seemed fine. She turned back to Kaida and said, "I'll climb down. If I get to the bottom without dying then you can follow. Flo, you wait here."

"OK," Flo said quickly.

She was more than happy to stay put. She sat on the side of the well and started to drum her fingers on her legs.

Nila reached the bottom of the well and called up to Kaida. Then she shone her torch in the direction of the girl, making sure not to point it at her face so it would shine in her eyes. The girl was about their age with deep purple hair and round blue eyes. However, she was wearing an extremely strange outfit. She was dressed as a _Slowpoke_. She wore a full body outfit and even a strange nightcap that was shaped as a Slowpoke head. Her own face poked out of its gaping jaw.

"What is it with people and crazy outfits?" Nila wondered, thinking of Flo.

"It's my pyjamas," the girl said. "I said I was sleepwalking. Then some crazy person jumps on me up there and hacks of my tail! Then I stumbled around and fell down here. I've been here for ages!"

Nila inspected the damage. One of her ankles was very swollen but Nila didn't think it was broken as the girl had claimed.

"Eh, you're fine," Nila said.

Apparently this didn't reassure the girl. She whimpered.

Kaida reached the bottom of the ladder and walked over. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Hello, _Slowpoke_?" she said, confused.

"It's my pyjamas, _godamnit_!" the girl half-yelled.

"OK, OK," Kaida said, putting her hands up defensively. "Sorry…"

She mouthed, "Wow," to Nila over the girl's head. Nila nodded in agreement. They did run into the weirdest people.

A few minutes later John arrived with help. The police lowered a stretcher down and managed to pull the girl out of the well. Nila and Kaida climbed back up afterwards.

"Seems like you have a habit of saving our citizens," the female police officer noted. "If you could follow me…"

"Is Holly all right?" Flo asked her.

"She's fine," the woman said. "Back with her brother and grounded for the foreseeable future…"

"And that girl?" Flo asked.

"Rina? She's always getting into some sort of trouble. She'll bounce back."

Their stay at the police station was brief. They wrote down their accounts of the incidents with Holly and Rina and then they were free to go. The female police officer – Jenny – told Kaida that the Lapras was her responsibility now. She should either train it and try to get it over its horrible experience in the caves or release it into the sea when they reached one.

"But there is a small lake just south of town," the officer said. "You could take it there for a while. Otherwise we don't have any large stretch of water. It's all forest around here for miles."

"We can take it there tomorrow," John said.

"And we need to go look at the gym," Nila added.

-

Azalea Town was a strange cross between New Bark and Cherrygrove and Flo's hometown of Violet City. Despite there being denser forest around Azalea than Violet, there were plenty of houses made from brick. These were side by side to the wooden houses. There were even some thatched cottages, though where the roofing came from was a mystery to all as there were only a few crop fields around the town.

The first building they went to was easily the largest in the town. It was located right in the centre and, a little implausibly, all the other buildings looked like they had sprung up around it, creeping further and further away from the gym in a strange circle.

"So this is Azalea Gym," Flo said. She shuddered. "Full of creepy bug Pokémon."

Nila rolled her eyes.

"Some bug Pokémon are beautiful," John insisted. "Think of Butterfree and in the Hoenn region they have Beautifly… Then you could say Yanma is cute. Ooh, and also…"

Kaida sighed. There he went again.

Nila pushed open the door to the gym. There was a loud shriek and a small girl came rushing out.

"Hi!" she squealed.

It was Holly.

"Holly?" Flo said in surprise. "I heard you were grounded."

Holly nodded. "Yeah. My brother is at the gym all day so I have to stay with him."

"Your brother?"

"He's the gym leader, Bugsy," Holly informed them.

What a strange coincidence.

"Is your brother in there?" Kaida asked. "We want to battle him."

"Ooh," Holly said. "He said he had no challengers today. Maybe he'll battle one of you."

She dashed off into the gym. Kaida and Nila looked at each other.

"I guess I went first last time," Kaida said. "Now it's your go."

"Fair enough," Nila replied.

They entered the gym. It was lush and green and filled with plants. There were bug Pokémon everywhere. Once again Kaida was pulled into her fantasy about her perfect fire gym with gorgeous fire Pokémon everywhere and flames shooting out of the ground…

Holly darted back to their sides. Beside her was a green haired boy with a confident smile.

"I'm Bugsy," he said. "Which of you wants to challenge me then?"

"Me," Nila said.

"Is three on three all right for you?"

"That's fine."

Bugsy led her to a grassy glade in the middle of the gym. There was a sun roof over them, Kaida spotted, so the place was like a giant greenhouse. It really was perfect for bug Pokémon. Her fire gym would top it, of course, but it would top everything…

"OK. Let's not waste time," Bugsy said. "I choose, Ariados!"

"Go, Mareep."

The large bug faced the little electric sheep.

"Quick, Ariados, use Snadow Sneak!"

Ariados had slammed into Mareep before Nila could open her mouth.

"Mareep! Thundershock!"

Ariados dodged the first wave but was hit by the second one. It twitched as electricity coursed through its body.

"Use Agility, Ariados," Bugsy ordered.

Mareep sent another wave of electricity but Ariados was extremely speedy thanks to its Agility attack and it easily scuttled out of the way.

"Ariados, use Spider Web," Bugsy ordered.

Mareep found itself trussed up in tree when it tried to jump towards Ariados. It struggled helplessly.

"You can still use Thundershock," Nila said. "Concentrate now!"

Mareep managed to hit Ariados with a charge of electricity. Nila thought that the web holding Mareep had been weakened by its attack.

"Use Leech Life," Bugsy ordered. "It has the spark ability so we shouldn't touch it."

Mareep was seeded. Nila cursed. Now its health would be gradually sapped into Ariados. Ariados wouldn't need to go near Mareep again if Mareep couldn't get out of that web.

"Mareep, concentrate your thunder shock on the branch of the tree you're held up by," Nila ordered.

Mareep obeyed and after a second the branch snapped from the concentrated force of the electricity. Nila watched Mareep tumble out of the web and get to its feet again.

"Body Slam!" she instructed.

Ariados dodged but Mareep managed to hit it with a Thundershock attack afterwards. Mareep tried another electrical attack but Ariados dodged that.

"Agility," Bugsy said.

Its speed was frighteningly quick. Mareep was losing strength due to leech seed and couldn't even land a decent hit in retaliation. The battle was going down hill.

"Use Spider Web!"

"Dodge!"

Mareep scarcely avoided being trapped in another sticky net. Its dodge brought it close enough to Ariados to perform a Body Slam. This sent Ariados tumbling backwards. However, Ariados soon recovered and avoided a Thundershock.

Ariados was just too quick, Nila thought. She wasn't sure what to do. She had thought Mareep would be powerful enough to deal with the bug Pokémon but she had been wrong. It was growing weaker by the second thanks to Leech Seed.

Then Ariados delivered the final blow, using Spider Web to snare Mareep again. There was no escaping that now. Mareep was too weak. Eventually, despite its struggling, it fainted. Nila returned it to its Pokéball. Next she sent out Sandshrew. She had to hit Ariados quickly.

"Sandshrew, go," Nila ordered. "Use Night Slash!"

Sandshrew appeared and caught Ariados immediately. It was a powerful attack and it weakened Ariados considerably.

"And again!"

Ariados got up only to face another blow. It was knocked unconscious and Bugsy returned it to its Pokéball. Next he sent out Metapod. Nila was apprehensive. While many might think that Metapod was a weak Pokémon, she had heard rumours about Bugsy's particular Metapod. Apparently it had an extremely high defence and was almost impervious to harm. In addition, it apparently knew some attacking moves too.

"Sandshrew, use Swift!"

The stars struck the Metapod but didn't seem to do that much damage. Its defence was extremely high.

"Harden," Bugsy ordered.

Sandshrew would keep attacking but Metapod would only use Harden. Then, finally, Bugsy ordered Metapod to use Tackle. Nila ordered Sandshrew to dodge but it was too slow. The Metapod slammed it off its feet. Sandshrew was still conscious but severely weakened.

"Sandshrew, try Sand Attack!"

She had to stop Metapod from hitting Sandshrew again. Unfortunately even with the loss of accuracy, Metapod managed to use an astounding Tackle attack. This was the end of Sandshrew. It fainted and Nila had to return it to its Pokéball. She bit her lip. No. This was not going well.

"Chikorita!"

Chikorita bounded forwards, determined and ready for battle. Nila wondered what move to use. She thought Razor Leaf would be fairly ineffective against Metapod's hard shell – and grass was weak against bug types anyway – so she thought hard. Rock. Rock would be strong.

"Use Ancient Power!"

The rocks came tumbling down on Metapod.

"And again!"

Another rain of rocks as Metapod was mid Harden. This finished the job. Metapod slumped to the ground. Bugsy withdrew it.

"And I left the toughest Pokémon until last," Bugsy said. "Go, Scyther!"

The Scyther burst out its Pokéball. It did look tough. It waved its claws menacingly. Chikorita, however, was not intimidated, and held its ground.

"Swords Dance, Scyther," Bugsy ordered.

That move raised the attack of Scyther sharply. Nila frowned.

"Now, Agility!"

"You've followed fast Pokémon before," Nila urged. "Come on! Ancient Power!"

Scyther spun out of the way of the attack and used Slash, rebuffing Chikorita sharply. Chikorita tumbled backwards but leapt back to its feet.

"And now, Wing Attack!"

Nila's eyes widened. That move was super effective again Grass Pokémon. Uh oh. Chikorita was thrown backwards again by the powerful attack. This time it was severely weakened.

"Come on, Chikorita, Razor Leaf."

The sharp leaves shot towards Sycther. Some hit it, and were not very effective, and others were struck down by its lightning fast blades.

"And now, Slash, again!" Bugsy ordered.

"Dodge it!"

Chikorita managed to avoid the attack but it was a close call.

"Use Synthesis, Chikorita," Nila instructed.

Chikorita started to glow as it healed, but Bugsy cried out to Scyther to stop Chikorita and Scyther moved quickly. It sent another powerful Wing Attack against Chikorita. Chikorita had not healed itself enough. It was knocked out. The battle was over.

"Good match," Bugsy said. "But not just anyone can beat my Scyther."

"We'll have a rematch," Nila said, refusing to let it get her down.

"Why not?" Bugsy said. "But you better have got seriously stronger or you don't stand a chance."

Flo tried to overload Nila with sympathy as she left the gym but Nila shrugged her off.

"I don't need people feeling sorry for me," Nila said. "I just need to get stronger. We have to practise harder."

"Your Pokémon had a tough battle," John warned. "You better not put them through too much today."

"Of course not," Nila said. "I'll take them to the Pokémon Centre and we'll get started tomorrow."

Kaida had another concern.

"How am I going to fight him three versus three?" she asked. "I don't have three Pokémon."

"You have Lapras," Nila said.

Kaida raised her eyebrows. "I don't think it good for me to demand that Lapras to fight battles."

"Well you could try. Take it to the lake. Try to calm it down. It's worth a shot." Nila shrugged. "Otherwise you will just have to catch another Pokémon."

"I would lend you my Pokémon," John said, "but I'm not sure that is allowed."

Kaida thought of the hyperactive Totodile, the thieving Hoothoot, and the, well, actually, she didn't really know a lot about Dunsparce, but it probably couldn't do that much… In any case, while John's Pokémon weren't weak, they were a handful, and Kaida thought she better stick to her own Pokémon and her own strengths. She did have the advantage with Cyndaquil, didn't she? And Gasty… Well, after watching Nila's battle she had several tactics running through her mind, and she knew what to do with him.

As for the third Pokémon being Lapras… Well. She'd have to wait and see.

-

They ran into Rina, who had just emerged from the hospital. Her leg was strapped up but apparently the injuries were minor and she would be able to take it off in exchange for a simpler support in a week. She had also changed out of her Slowpoke outfit, which was apparently her pyjamas. Now she was wearing a denim skirt, an overlarge green hoodie and, on the leg without the cast, she was wearing a thigh length rainbow striped sock.

"I was really lucky," she said. "And thanks for saving me. Do you have a place to stay? Mum said you can stay around mine for a while as a thank you."

They all looked at each other and agreed. It was probably better than staying anywhere else. Then John beamed at Kaida.

"Now you can make brownies! They'll definitely have an oven"

Kaida remembered her promise and groaned. Then she remembered something else she had forgotten. She shook her fist at Nila.

"You owe me a muffin!" she yelled.

After Nila had compensated Kaida for stealing her muffin and feeding it to Sandshrew, they decided to go down to the lake to release Lapras. Flo was under the impression it would be a nice, relaxing trip. Kaida wondered how Flo could have forgotten how crazy Lapras had been. No, she didn't think it would run so smoothly.

That was why she was pleasantly surprised.

They had picked the evening to come down to the lake because they weren't sure how long Lapras had been stuck in the cave and whether the sunlight would hurt its eyes. Cautiously, Kaida released the Lapras into the water and waited for the explosion.

It was half asleep when it was released – perhaps due to Hoothoot's Hypnosis – and it looked around in confusion. It then looked in their direction and they were all on guard immediately.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Kaida said quietly. "Look. Open air. Water. You don't have to go back to the cave now. And, in a while, we'll take you to the sea and you can be free."

She wasn't sure if Lapras understood but it didn't attack them. Instead it swam around slowly and disbelievingly. It couldn't seem to comprehend that it was out in fresh air and _free_.

Still, they were all wary, and flinched when Lapras opened its mouth. But no Ice Beam attack came flying in their direction so they relaxed again. A little.

An hour later and everyone felt comfortable sitting down on the side of the lake. John was reading his guide and making small revisions in pencil about the things that were incorrect, whilst muttering that he needed to get a new version. Nila was eating the muffin she had bought for herself and feeding little bits to her Pokémon. Flo was polishing her egg.

"You know," Kaida said. "I bet that is something really ugly."

Flo looked alarmed. She cradled the egg to her chest.

"It won't be ugly," she insisted. "It is a _baby_."

"It'll probably be a Grimer," Nila said.

Flo was horrified. "It won't! It will be a baby Pokémon and it will be cute!"

"Hmm, perhaps it will be a Smoochum. Jynx is a weird Pokémon…" Kaida mused. "Actually, it could even be a little baby Gastly. Just like mine."

Flo looked at Kaida's mischievous Gastly in fear.

"Or a Mime Jnr," Rina shuddered. "Clowns. Evil."

They all looked at her for a moment. She looked like she was about to pass out at the very thought of it.

"I hope it is a bug Pokémon," John said. "Bug Pokémon are cool."

Flo's face was growing gradually redder and redder as they continued to speculate about the egg's content. She was trying to reassure herself that her mother had known what she was doing and had not arranged for her to receive some creepy, ugly Pokémon, but it was difficult to do this when everyone else was having a large, cheerful conversation about the worst possible outcomes.

"It could be a Slugma," John said, grinning manically.

Nila looked very disturbed by his smile. She turned away. Kaida, at the same time, looked affronted.

"Slugma is cute," Kaida declared.

"I'm sorry," Nila said, snapping away from nightmarish thoughts about John's creepy grin, "but in _what _universe is Slugma cute? I mean, I have nothing _against _the Pokémon, but it is lava like _sludge_."

"Is not," Kaida said petulantly.

"I think your obsession for fire has made you become more than a little deluded," Nila said.

Kaida folded her arms and sulked.

"Beldum is pretty weird," Nila continued, "and if it is an Onix it could evolve into a Steelix and they have creepy grins…"

Nila glanced at John. Kaida knew she was mentally comparing John's manic grin to that of a Steelix. Judging by the shudder that came from Nila a second later, she did not like what she had imagined.

"All right!" Flo exploded. "Everyone, stop it, right now!"

They all went silent.

"This egg is going to contain the cutest Pokémon in the world! Stop trying to give me nightmares! It is just _mean_!"

There was quiet for a little while longer. Then Nila sniggered. The others couldn't hold it in any longer and began to laugh too. Even Cyndaquil was rolling around, trying to mimic Kaida, as she giggled into the grass.

Then, quite randomly, Rina said suddenly, "Mareep is very fluffy."

Nila quirked an eyebrow. "Um. Yes. It's a _sheep_."

"I know," Rina said.

Then she went quiet. Nila looked at her in some confusion but let it drop.

"It's getting late," John said suddenly, snapping his book shut. "I want an early start tomorrow. Plenty to explore."

Kaida looked over at the Lapras. It was gliding slowly and silently through the water. It was calm down but she wasn't sure whether it would remain that way if she tried to get it back in the Pokéball. She sighed. She couldn't just leave it out there. She would have to go and speak to it.

Lapras moved skittishly as she drew closer. She tried to steel her nerves and continue. Cyndaquil was with her and she thought it could counter an Ice Beam. Or, at least, give her time to duck. And even if it couldn't… She needed to tell herself that it could so she wouldn't be too nervous.

"I'm going to take you to the sea," Kaida said, "but it will take a while. You'll have to travel in the Pokéball for a bit. I'm sorry."

Lapras looked at her now with curiosity. The mad look in its eyes had faded but it was still there. It clearly had been scarred horrifically by its time in the cave. Kaida held up the Pokéball, hoping it had got the message, but the Lapras freaked out at the sight of it. It reared up and Kaida staggered backwards. Cyndaquil leapt forwards but it looked tiny compared to the larger Pokémon. Then Lapras splashed down and a wave soaked them. Cyndaquil attempted to light its flame but it was extinguished when Lapras repeated its move of distress. Then it sped away across the small lake.

"Looks like Lapras isn't coming back then," Nila said.

Kaida glared. "It was your idea to release it."

"No it wasn't," Nila objected.

"Oh, Kaida," Kaida said in a ridiculously high pitched voice. "You could train Lapras and use it for a gym battle. I'm sure you'll be able to get it over its fears!"

Nila scowled. "I do not sound like that."

"No," Kaida said, changing her voice to purposely gruff. "It's a man's voice. Like this."

Nila was unimpressed. "It's going to take more than a day to undo the damage to Lapras."

"I can't just leave it out here though," Kaida protested.

"Why not?" Nila asked.

"It might hurt someone," Kaida said.

Nila shrugged. "Maybe. Probably not. Come back early tomorrow."

Kaida thought about it. The Lapras had attacked them in the cave from desperation. Perhaps it wanted their attention so they could get it out but wasn't sure how to do it. Either way it seemed perfectly docile now unless threatened with a Pokéball. Nila was right. Kaida could come back first thing the next day and try to encourage it to go back into the Pokéball.

Until then she could go to Rina's for a warm meal, bath, and bed.


	13. Chapter 13: trouble with tails

**13. The Slowpoke adventure: the trouble with tails.**

John woke up and decided to train Dunsparce.

He had had the Pokémon for a while and it seemed to be quite useless in fights – as proved against a few of the Pokémon that the others had when they had short battles after they set up the campsite each night on their journey. So far he had figured that Dunsparce knew Defence Curl but, frankly, not a lot else. If it did know other moves then it wasn't telling. It could dig well and fly a tiny bit but it didn't seem to want to move. John walked east of Azalea Town, back towards the Slowpoke Well.

He released Dunsparce from its Pokéball and regarded it seriously.

"Well, Dunsparce," he said. "You have to know something. I looked at Kaida's Pokédex and it said that you can learn quite a lot of moves. Like Yawn. I've seen you yawn. Now turn it into a Pokémon move."

John sent out Hoothoot, in the hope that Dunsparce would be encouraged to fight it.

Dunsparce sat there.

John sighed, rubbing his forehead. This wasn't going well.

"Hoothoot, use Peck or something. Maybe that will motivate it."

Hoothoot swooped down towards the Pokémon. Dunsparce glared. Hoothoot stopped, falling to the ground as its wings twitched and gave way. John realised it had actually performed Glare and paralysed Hoothoot.

Hoothoot was soon up again – nothing intimidated Hoothoot for long – but Dunsparce simply yawned. Yawn. Hoothoot pecked Dunsparce quite furiously in retaliation, but when it tried to use Tackle, it fell down again and drifted off to sleep.

"I knew you could do it Dunsparce," John said happily. "Well done."

Dunsparce sat still, disinclined to move. John suddenly felt quite drowsy himself. Maybe he needed to sit down… Maybe he needed to close his eyes… Maybe.

When John woke up again, it was to Hoothoot head butting him. John looked around, confused. He didn't think that much time had passed. He looked down at Dunsparce, which was in the exact same position as before. Now this was just getting creepy. He returned it to its Pokéball. Why was it doing this? It had flown at Kaida with surprising vigour in the cave. Now it didn't want to move at all. The most he had seen it move was to get its bowl of food, which was normally about a metre. This was insane…

John decided to head back. He was feeling a bit peckish. Maybe he could have a midmorning snack. He'd deal with Dunsparce later.

-

That same morning, Kaida got out of bed bright and early to go and check on Lapras. She wanted to ask Nila to go with her but Nila was muttering something particularly unpleasant in her sleep and Kaida wasn't sure if it was wise to wake her up. Well, it was never wise, but today it would definitely be signing a death wish.

She went by herself instead. John had already left and Flo and Rina were snoozing. She grabbed some breakfast and left with Cyndaquil in her arms. It was still half asleep and snuffling cutely.

When she got nearer the lake she heard loud voices. Then she moved through the trees and she saw several young boys laughing and throwing something. Kaida's eyes flickered around and she realised, in horror, they were throwing stones at Lapras, which was growing increasingly upset.

"Hey!" Kaida shouted. "Stop it!"

She ran to the shore of the lake and grabbed one of the boy's arms as he raised it.

"Stop it!" she repeated.

One of the others tried to throw a rock but Cyndaquil leapt out of Kaida's arms and lit up its back with flames.

"You should never be cruel like that to a Pokémon," Kaida scolded. "Plus, that Lapras could do a lot of damage to you. Do I have to take you back to the town and tell your mothers?"

"No!" the boys cried.

"Well don't _ever _do this again," Kaida said crossly.

They scampered off. Kaida turned towards the Lapras.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I thought I would get here before anyone else."

Lapras was regarding her with another curious look.

"I've seen you dive though," Kaida continued. "You could get away. Just, please, don't hurt anyone." She paused. "And you could go in the Pokéball and–"

Lapras screeched and dived under the water. Kaida sighed.

"I'll come back later then," she muttered to herself.

She walked at a leisurely pace back to Rina's house. When she returned she found John had already returned and everyone else was up. This included Rina, according to Flo, though she was not there.

"Find anything interesting?" she asked him.

"Not much," John said. "There are a lot of Hoppip around here though."

Flo looked up at the sound of the word Hoppip and an irritated look flashed her face. Doubtless she was thinking of her own Hoppip. Oh, yeah, Kaida remembered. Flo still thought the only move it could learn was Splash. John, Nila, and Kaida seemed to have acquired an unspoken agreement never to tell her.

Rina came stumbling down the stairs, slipping due to her unsteady leg. They all looked up at the sound of her falling, alarmed, and were relieved when she regained balance. She grabbed the banisters and managed to stay upright. Rina did not share their relief. In fact, she looked frantic.

"My Slowpoke plushie!" she cried. "It's gone!"

They all blinked.

"I can't sleep without it!"

"Well, you did," Flo pointed out, "because you didn't have it last night."

"I had my _Slowking_ plushie then," Rina explained. "I alternate between holding Slowbro, Slowking, and Slowpoke. I don't want any of them to feel left out."

Nila's raised eyebrow showed everyone what she thought of _that_. Kaida was a little more sympathetic. She had had a Cyndaquil plushie but had left it at home. She didn't want to get it dirty and she had a _real_ Cyndaquil now, which was one hundred times better.

"I was so tired yesterday that I didn't notice it was gone," Rina wailed. "I don't know where…" She trailed off and realisation dawned. "The well!"

She hobbled to the door and out of it. For someone with a twisted ankle she was surprisingly quick when roused. They all exchanged looks and followed her. She sped up as she went along, growing accustomed to her ankle, and darted through the bushes nimbly. The others struggled to keep up.

They reached the well as Rina grabbed hold of the ladder to try and lower herself down. Unfortunately, the running had taken its toll and her ankle gave way. John grabbed her arms and pulled her back up in the nick of time.

"You _fool_," he admonished. "You can't go down there in that state."

"But my _Slowpoke_," Rina cried.

John sighed. "I'll go down and have a look."

He whipped his torch out of his bag and climbed swiftly down the ladder. Once he reached the bottom he swept the torch around quickly but diligently and saw nothing that would resemble a Slowpoke plushie.

"It's not down here!" he called up.

Rina's face appeared over the top of the well. Her round blue eyes welled with tears.

"I know I had it. I must have had it." She called mournfully, "Slooowpoke!"

"It isn't down here!" John insisted.

He swung his torch around once more. There was a dark passage leading away from the dried up well. It started with the same bricks as the well but soon turned into a natural cave. Most likely it was linked, miles away, with Union Cave.

Then his torch fell on something peculiar. John advanced forwards until he was standing in front of a strange, slippery looking object. There was a dark liquid forming around it. John reached out his hand and stepped closer. Just before his fingers came into contact with the item, he recoiled in disgust. The dark liquid was blood. This was the tail of a Slowpoke. Someone had cut it off.

John stepped backwards and almost tripped on the uneven floor. He felt bile rise into his throat. That was _disgusting_. Could it have happened _naturally_? Perhaps a fight between two Slowpoke had become a bit aggressive. He forced himself to walk forwards again. The line where the tail had been severed from the body looked clean. It looked like it had been cut by a knife. He hurried back to the base of the well where the others were calling down to him. Kaida was halfway down the ladder and Nila looked ready to follow.

"What is it?" Kaida asked. "You weren't replying. We got worried."

Her Cyndaquil was clinging to her head. It was looking around anxiously, disliking the cold, dark tunnels. To make matters worse, there was the ever present sound of water _dripping_. Droplets were splashing down one by one like heavy beads. The noise was magnified by the echoing caverns.

"I just found…" John stopped. It was probably better to show her.

He let her a little way along the passage where the brickwork turned to natural stone. He stone his torch on his find. Kaida peered at it in confusion. She didn't realise what it was at first. Then she blanched and stepped backwards quickly.

"Is that…?"

"Yes," John said.

"But, why?" Kaida said. "What happened?"

"I think a human might have done this," John said, "although I'm not sure why."

Nila reached the bottom next, telling them Flo was resolute in her decision to stay up in the daylight with Rina. Apparently she was polishing her egg again. Then Nila stopped talking when her eyes fell upon John's find.

"That is repulsive," she said briskly. She looked to John. "Smooth cut line."

"Yeah, I think it was a knife," John confirmed.

Kaida felt sick. She was surprised she hadn't thrown up. She tore her eyes away from the sight of the bloodied tail and then spotted something else. Splodges of dark liquid were leading away from the well. She pointed it out to the other two.

"Maybe it is down there and hurt," Kaida said. "We should go and look."

"We need to tell Flo and Rina," John said, walking back into the bottom of the well so that he could call up at them. When he returned he had released Totodile from its Pokéball and it joined Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

"Let's go then," he said, taking the lead.

They followed the splodges of blood thanks to John's superb tracking skills. A little light emitted from Cyndaquil's flame and they used the powerful, beaming torches to light the rest of the way. It was still dark and overwhelming damp. The air was thick and heavy and it was almost possible to taste the moisture. And, ever present, was the _drip, drip, drip_ of sliding water.

The tunnel had widened out into underground caverns with odd rocks and deep, dark pools, much like Union Cave. The ceiling was low but it was getting higher as they descended down a gradual, slippery slope.

"This place is creepy," Kaida muttered. "No sign of the Slowpoke."

That wasn't completely true. Occasionally they would see a flash in the darkness or hear a splash in a pool. There was definitely Slowpoke present. There was just not _their_ Slowpoke: the injured Slowpoke.

"I didn't think Slowpoke hid like this," John muttered. "Thought they were too lazy."

"Something weird is definitely going on," Kaida said.

That was an understatement as, when they turned the corner, they found that someone had attached a feeble blue light to one of the walls. It was half hanging down and did not look professional like the lights that had been placed in the main tunnel through Union Cave. They continued a little further and saw more as the cave widened out into a tall cavern. It reminded Kaida of the place that they had met Lapras. She could only hope that they wouldn't meet another maddened Pokémon in the depths of this cave.

Kaida swung her torch to the side at the sound of movement and saw, finally, a Slowpoke slipping into the water. What disturbed her was its stump. She was aware that Slowpoke could regrow their tails but it was still strange to see it about a quarter formed. What was even more disturbing was the fact that this pointed to these strange activities going on for a while. Someone had been here cutting off Slowpoke tails and it wasn't a one off. Yes, Kaida knew that it could be a coincidence, because that Slowpoke could have been attacked by something, but the chances weren't looking high. Slowpoke weren't exactly known for being aggressive themselves and the shapes they had seen were all Slowpoke-esque. There didn't appear to be any other Pokémon in this part of the cave to behave aggressively towards them.

The ceiling was higher and higher but short piles of rocks stuck up from the ground alongside small pools of deep water. It gave the impression of a strange labyrinth stretching out before them. Kaida hoped John's sense of direction was acute enough that they would not get lost if they deviated from the so far straight path they had been walking along.

Voices could then be heard and, instinctively, John lowered his torch. If humans _had_ harmed that Slowpoke then they didn't know what they were capable of. They crept closer and John turned his torch off. It was not necessary to use it to see any longer because of the lights. Nila and Kaida followed in suit. Cyndaquil's flame extinguished.

They moved forward so they could crouch behind some rocks. From there they peered over and saw a disturbing sight. Dressed in black with white "R" symbols, were two men and a blonde women with alarmingly sized hair. Then both men pulled into view a struggling Slowpoke and pinned it down. They all felt their breath catch in their throat as the blonde women walked to the side and picked up a long, metal knife. It shone in the dull light as she raised it aloft, preparing to slice downwards at any second.

-

After John had shouted up that they were going to investigate something weird down the well, Flo and Rina sat in silence for a few moments. However, this was broken when Rina suddenly chirped, "Let's play eye spy."

Flo was about to dismiss it as childish but then thought it could be quite fun. Plus, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do while she cleaned her egg. It was all shiny and perfect. She loved it. She couldn't wait until it cracked open and revealed the Pokémon inside.

"OK," Flo said. "I spy…"

"Hey!" Rina objected. "I get to go first. I said I wanted to play!"

"But…" Flo trailed off. She'd get her go eventually. "Fine."

Rina grinned and then pulled a thoughtful expression. Flo waited. Minutes passed. Flo was still waiting. She frowned. Rina still looked thoughtful.

"Will you hurry up?!" she said, annoyed. "You said you wanted to go first. Why say that if you didn't know what to say?"

"Don't rush me!"

"But how hard can it be?" Flo asked. "We're surrounded by stuff."

Rina pulled a face. "Meh."

Flo was fast losing her patience.

"I spy!" Rina said finally.

Flo gave a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to be grey before Rina decided what to pick then.

Rina continued, "With my little eye, something beginning with _F_!"

She sounded extremely triumphant. Rina did feel this way. She was fairly confident that she had picked something that the other girl would not think to guess in a million years. She was going to win this game for sure.

"Flo," Flo said.

Rina's eyes popped. "How did you _know_!"

"You stared at me a minute before you said it," Flo pointed out. "Besides, what else was it going to be?"

Rina struggled. Finally she said, "It could have been flowers!"

"Where?" Flo asked.

Rina looked around. Surprisingly there were actually no flowers in sight. There was grass, trees, hedges, and rocks, but no flowers. That was odd.

"OK, my turn," Flo said happily.

"But you got mine so quickly," Rina said miserably. "Can I have another go?"

"What? No! It's my turn."

"_Please_! Give me another chance!" Rina begged.

"Ugh, fine," Flo said. "But don't take so long this time."

Rina nodded obediently. She supported her chin in her hand and tried her best to look _serious_. Yes, she was seriously in thought. What would be a good thing to say? Grass was a bit obvious and, ooh, was that a Butterfree? It looked pretty. Rina was about to wave at it but then it disappeared from sight.

"Hurry up!" Flo said. "Look, I'm taking my go!"

"Hey!" Rina protested.

"I spy with my little eye," Flo said, "something beginning with _S_."

"Stone!"

"No."

"Shoe!"

"No."

"Sole!"

Flo frowned. "No."

"Shoelace."

"No!"

"Shoe tongue thing."

Flo snapped, "It has nothing to do with shoes!"

"Oh," Rina said, feeling properly chastised. "Socks?"

Flo grinded her teeth together. It was like taking care of a baby.

"Spore."

"Spore?"

"Like a spore," Rina said, flapping her arms. "You know!"

"Right…" Flo said slowly. "No, it isn't a spore."

"Um," Rina said, stumped. She tried to think logically. This failed.

Flo sighed. Apparently Rina took as long to guess as she did to decide what to say. This wasn't going well. It wasn't even as if Flo had picked something particularly difficult.

"Sun!" Rina said triumphantly.

"No," Flo said.

She tried to sound a little encouraging, because Rina was close, but apparently the other girl didn't get the hint because she went into what appeared to be deep meditation. Flo wondered if she would notice if she snapped her fingers in Rina's face. She tried it. No, apparently she did notice it. Weird.

"Sunglasses?"

"Where are any sunglasses?" Flo demanded.

"Maybe in your bag?"

"I can't see inside my bag," Flo said. Her voice grew shrill with annoyance. "I don't have x-ray vision!"

"Oh. Really? Shame."

Flo groaned. She didn't know how much more she could take of this.

"Snail?"

-

The men were pinning down a Slowpoke and the woman had raised a giant cleaver type instrument, preparing to saw off the tail. She lifted it up and they all watched, in horror and outrage, but John reacted first.

"Totodile, get her!"

Totodile launched itself from behind the rock and was over by the women in a flash. It sank its teeth harshly into her rear end and she shrieked with pain, dropping the cleaver.

"Wow," Nila said.

"Yeah," Kaida said, grinning. "It learnt Bite." She looked at Nila. "Aren't you going to gush about the awesome dark move?"

"I would," Nila said, standing up, "but I'm not sure now is the time."

John had followed Totodile and the Rockets had released their Pokémon. Kaida and Nila followed and sent forward Chikorita and Cyndaquil. The two Rocket men released a Zubat and a Koffing and the blonde with the large hair released a Grimer when she finally stopped howling and let her pain turn to rage.

"Why is it _always_ meddling children?" the woman hissed. "Grimer, use Sludge!"

Totodile leapt out of the way of the attack and danced tauntingly. It dodged another Sludge attack and shot back with Water Gun after John's command. Meanwhile, Chikorita was firing Razor Leaf at the Zubat and Cyndaquil avoided a Tackle attack. The Koffing crashed into the ground and Cyndaquil sent a Flame Wheel at it.

"Zubat," the bald Rocket man said sharply, "use Supersonic."

The attack hit Chikorita, who proceeded to stagger around in confusion. Its next Razor Leaf attack was an abysmal failure and Chikorita ended up hurting itself. Nila scowled as the Zubat used Bite attack to add insult to the injury. The cheek of this man to use dark moves again her. She was going to crush him like a bug for that.

Totodile was having a lot more success with Grimer. Try as it may, Grimer could not land and attack on the swift Pokémon. It kept dancing out of reach, avoiding even attacks like Poison Gas. Grimer tried to Minimize itself to avoid Totodile's stream of Water Gun attacks but it was too slow for the aquatic reptile. John had the battle in hand.

Cyndaquil was also having some success, although a small Smokescreen had put it off its game and it had been lucky to avoid a Smog attack without consequences. It shot Ember at Koffing and this seemed to be the end for the poison Pokémon and it crashed into the ground. The trainer returned it to its Pokéball.

Meanwhile, Nila was still attempting to get her revenge on the bald man and his Zubat.

"Come on, Chikorita," she said forcefully. "Pull yourself together! Use Ancient Power!"

Chikorita managed to control itself enough to perform the attack upon the Zubat. Zubat was flattened immediately. The man gaped.

Totodile finished off Grimer seconds later. These Rockets had been pathetically weak, Kaida thought. They were supposed to part of a top criminal organisation but had been down in a well cutting off Slowpoke tails. She had lost a lot of fear for Rockets all around.

"Damn it," the blonde woman hissed. "I told the boss he should have given us better Pokémon but he said we should keep low profile and there would be no trouble."

"Why do you want Slowpoke tails anyway?" John demanded. "They're worthless."

The blonde woman laughed. "That's what you think." She looked at her partners in crime. "Come on," she ordered.

The Rockets rushed forward and they had no time to react. Children were not a good barrier against larger adults and they easily got passed. Nila's eye twitched, and she contemplated sending Chikorita after them, but she wasn't sure if it could catch them.

"No sign of the Slowpoke that was hurt," John said. "Hopefully it will be OK."

"Its tail will grow back," Kaida said. "I suppose that is a little compensation…"

John frowned. "I don't understand what they were trying to do. The only thing I could think of would be that they wanted to study re-growing limbs. But then surely they would need a lab and the Slowpoke to go with its tail. And if they were just collecting tails then we did we find one back there… This all makes no sense!"

"We better head back," Nila said, cutting him off. "Those Rockets will pop out the well right by Rina and Flo. They might need help."

John swore. "Good point."

They moved as quickly as they could in the direction they had come from. When the lights on the wall ran out they used torches again. They all almost slipped on several occasions and Kaida cursed water and its wily ways.

They reached the well and were stunned to find that the two men were at the bottom of the well. John whistled lowly as he saw bone protruding from one of the men's legs. How had this happened? John glanced up to the top of the well. He surmised that they had fallen. But both of them? In their haste to get out? That was a bit dodgy. Nila moved forward and checked the pulse of the man with the broken leg. Then she moved onto the bald man.

"They are both alive," Nila informed them.

"They need the hospital," John said. "I think you two should stay here and I'll go and get the police again. I'm faster."

Kaida and Nila looked at each other and nodded to John. He returned Totodile to its Pokéball and climbed rapidly up the ladder to the top of the well. They could vaguely hear low murmurings, as he presumably spoke to Rina and Flo, and then the voices stopped. A short while later and John arrived at the well, yet again, with a police escort. Once more they were asked to go to the police station to make a statement.

"We didn't see them come up," Flo told the officer, "but we did have our backs to the well. I don't know what happened."

"They must have fallen then," the police officer said, though she looked a little doubtful. "We'll definitely need to investigate this further. Someone will need to take us to where the battle happened as well."

John volunteered immediately. He was extremely curious about the goings on in the well and was determined to find out more. It just didn't make any sense and his mind and he needed to work it out.

"I think that I better go and see Lapras again," Kaida said.

"I want to train," Nila muttered.

They both left in separate directions.

Flo glanced at Rina. Alone again. It had been a long day. She thought back to the end result of that horrendous game of eye spy…

-

"It's _sky_!" Flo cried, finally unable to bear it anymore.

"Oooh," Rina said, looking up to the great blue expanse above her. Then she glared at Flo. "You spoilt it."

"You were too slow," Flo said. "This game is boring. Let's talk about something else. Pokémon. You have Pokémon. Slowpoke."

"I have two," Rina said happily. "Wallie and Wonky."

Flo blinked. "_Wonky_?"

"Yeah, it has a bit of a limp," Rina said, scrunching up her nose. "What about you?"

"I have Weepinbell," Flo said, immediately feeling depressed when she was reminded of its evolution. She forced herself to snap out of it and added, "I also have caught Wooper and Hoppip."

"Cute!" Rina squealed.

"Which one?"

"Wooper and Hoppip."

Flo nodded. Then she said, "But Hoppip is useless."

Rina cocked her head to one side in confusion.

"Yeah, the only move that it ever learns is Splash, which does nothing at all."

Rina looked puzzled. "But splashing is fun."

"There is no point," Flo said. "It just looks like it is having a fit. Look, I'll show you."

She grabbed the correct Pokéball and released the Pokémon.

"Show us Splash then," Flo said dully. "Your only move…"

"Splash, splash, splash," Rina grinned happily.

Hoppip thrashed around oddly midair. They both looked on, stunned. It then spun around and bounced around their heads. Flo sighed. She turned back to Rina and let it flit around behind her.

Unbeknownst to Flo and Rina, at this point a blonde Team Rocket member had popped up and was sneaking away. The other two Rockets were not as interested in sneaking. They saw the two children sitting there and so guessed, correctly, that they could be related to the children who had defeated them in the cave. Filled with mean thoughts – all about pushing them over before they ran for it – the men advanced. However, they had barely put a foot out of the well when they bumped into Hoppip, which puffed up its cheeks in indignation and _fired. _Like a miniature machine gun it sent a steam of bullets that successfully hit both the men. They toppled backwards down the well, from the force of the Bullet Seed attack, with alarmed cries. There was a sickening thud.

"Did you hear something?" Flo said, looking around.

"I like cheese," Rina said, with a dazed look on her face. She had zoned out.

Flo shook her head and she watched Rina exit her daze with a goofy grin. They both spotted Hoppip, who was now performing a Splash victory dance.

"See," Flo sighed. "It is useless."

-

The next day was filled with a flurry of activity. The previous night Kaida had returned gloomily after trying – and failing – to coax Lapras back into its Pokéball. Nila had not looked satisfied after she returned from training either. John was looking forward in anticipation to his trip to the caves. Rina complained to her parents about her missing plushie. She had been heartbroken that they hadn't found it down the well and John had to promise to take another look when he went back down there with the police.

"The police might have special Pokémon that can find it," Rina said, warming up to the idea.

"I'm sure it is their top priority," Nila said seriously.

"Really?" The voice was hopeful.

"No."

Rina's face fell. Flo just continued to polish her egg.

The next evening, after a fairly bland day, John described to them all in great detail about his trip to the cave with the police. They had searched the area around where they had fought and found a small lab that had been filled up with Slowpoke tail. John explained it quite vividly and his audience all looked a little green by the end of the gory description.

"The police said that apparently some people _do _buy Slowpoke tails. Apparently they believe the old wives tale that it will keep you young and beautiful forever if you stew it. And there is another one about making your Pokémon invincible. People will pay quite a lot for it." John pulled a face. "I said that I didn't think people would be that stupid but apparently it is true."

"That's disgusting," Flo said in horror. "People _eat_ Slowpoke tail?"

"My poor Slowpoke!" Rina said, equally horrified.

They were sitting beside her and she put her hands over their tails protectively. They didn't appear to appreciate it because they were half asleep. One of them yawned widely.

"What did you lot do then?"

"Trained," Nila said, sounding about as enthused as a depressed Cubone.

"Tried to get Lapras in the Pokéball _again_," Kaida said miserably.

"These things take time," John said wisely.

Nila and Kaida both glared it. He got the point and quickly shut his mouth.

"It was great for me," Rina said chirpily, forgetting her previous horror. "My parents found my Slowpoke plushie."

The other four really couldn't help but notice the clean, immaculate state of the Slowpoke plushie compared to Rina's well worn Slowbro and Slowking. Flo had asked earlier if it was newer than them. Rina had replied it was the oldest one.

"Um, where did they find it?" Kaida asked.

"The garden."

"The toy shop," Nila muttered.

Kaida elbowed her sharply. Apparently Rina was unobservant enough to not realise and Kaida, for one, did not want to see the waterworks if she ever did find out. It reminded her of parents replacing fish that had died so as not to upset their children.

"I missed you, Slowpoke," Rina said, snuggling her face into its fur.

"If that has been in the garden you should really give it a wash," Nila said. "Dirt and germs and yucky stuff could be all over it."

"My parents said they washed it for me," Rina replied. "Handwashed, of course, because the washing machine would be far too violent for poor Slowpoke."

Personally Kaida thought that if it had got a bit ripped in the washing machine then it would have been more convincing.

"It looks dirtier than the other two," Nila said. "You should give it another wash."

"Really?" Rina said, frowning.

She held the Slowpoke up to the other two plushies. In comparison it was squeaky clean. Kaida elbowed Nila again.

Nila had to stop tormenting Rina because it was getting late and, because they all either wanted an early start or were simply tired, they went to bed.


	14. Chapter 14: lakeside battles

**14. Lakeside battles and special balls.**

Kaida was walking down to see Lapras when a small body collided into her. She fell to the ground, winded, and tried desperately to suck in air.

"Whoops," the voice said.

Once she had recovered enough she saw that the body belonged to Holly, who was looking rather concerned.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked.

"No, it's fine," Kaida said, still clutching her stomach.

"Oh, good," Holly said. Her frown instantly evaporated and she grinned.

Behind Holly stood her brother, Bugsy, with his green hair in disarray. It looked like he was responsible for her that day and was having a hard time keeping her under control.

"Where are you going?" Holly asked.

"To the lake," Kaida said.

"Can I come?" Holly asked.

Kaida hesitated.

"She doesn't want you following her around, pest," Bugsy said teasingly to his sister.

Holly pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "No fair!"

"It's not that," Kaida said. "It's just… I have the Lapras down there. The one that attacked you. It was a bit crazy in those caves so I'm trying to make it better. Only, it's not really going so well. It won't go back into the Pokéball."

"Oh," Holly said.

"Maybe I could take a look," Bugsy offered.

Kaida thought about it. Bugsy was a very experienced Pokémon trainer, even if his speciality was bugs. He probably knew a lot more than her. Besides, it could never hurt to get some extra help.

"OK," she said. "Thanks."

Holly grabbed Kaida's hand and started to drag her down to the lake. For someone so small she possessed quite a lot of strength. Kaida almost tumbled over several times. She glanced back at the green haired gym leader. He just looked amused. Kaida scowled.

They reached the lake and Holly ran to the shore. She didn't seem to have any fear of the Lapras even though it had hurt her. It was quite strange. Kaida wondered if it was the tenacity of small children or just Holly.

"It is quite cute," Holly said.

Lapras was gliding around the other side of the lake. It didn't seem to tire of just swimming around in circles, savouring the open air. Kaida opened her bag and brought out some Pokéfood. She offered it to Holly.

"Just throw it as far as you can into the lake. I bet some fish Pokémon will grab a bit but Lapras will be over in a minute."

A few Goldeen popped up to gobble some food before Lapras came over. Once Lapras was there, Kaida began to throw in the bigger pieces of food.

"This is why you need to go to the sea," Kaida told Lapras. "There isn't enough food for you in this lake."

She was ignored. Holly giggled as Lapras gobbled up more food. It looked up at the sound of her giggle and regarded her closely. Then, suddenly, it splashed her. Holly looked shocked for a moment but then she chucked off her shoes and waded a little way into the lake so that she could splash Lapras back. Soon they were engaged in a full fledged water fight. Lapras looked happier than Kaida had ever seen it and Holly was laughing her head off.

"Wow," Kaida said.

"I know," Bugsy said. "Holly does have a way with Pokémon."

"Yeah," Kaida agreed. "It's impressive. I've never seen Lapras playful like this."

They watched the little girl move further into the lake. Eventually Lapras lowered its head and Holly clambered onto its back. Kaida was a little worried at first, and she thought Bugsy shared her concerns, but Lapras stayed close to the shore as it ferried the laughing girl up and down.

"Holly has done a lot more than I have," Kaida said.

She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't been able to get through to Lapras so quickly. Yes, she had helped calm it down and they had struck up some friendship, but Lapras had never wanted to play games with her. Not to mention, she had spent all this time with Lapras and now it seemed wasted. She could have been preparing for her gym battle with Bugsy. She still was short a Pokémon.

"What's wrong?" the gym leader asked her.

Kaida shrugged. "I feel sort of useless."

"You shouldn't. Some Pokémon just click better with different people. It is all about their natures."

"I know," Kaida said, "but I wanted to challenge you to a gym battle and I haven't been training at all recently. I don't even have enough Pokémon. It's annoying."

"You don't have three Pokémon?" Bugsy asked, surprised.

"Well," Kaida said defensively, "I haven't been a trainer long and I don't see much point in catching any random Pokémon."

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Bugsy asked.

"Two," Kaida said.

Bugsy looked pensive. Finally he said, "There is nothing in the rules that says I have to use three. Normally I wouldn't but you did help my sister out. So what do you say? We can have a two versus two right here. I know we're not at the gym but it can still be an official gym battle."

Kaida's eyes popped. "Seriously?" She hesitated. "I don't know. I haven't been training much."

"Well, no pressure," said Bugsy, "but what do you have to lose? You can always try again. Besides, you could gain experience fighting me now."

He did have a point.

"All right then," Kaida said determinedly. "Let's go."

They lined up against the lake shore. Lapras and Holly stopped to watch as they both sent out their first Pokémon. Ariados burst from Pokéball and Kaida sent forward Cyndaquil.

"Go, Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel."

"Shadow Sneak!"

Ariados slammed into Cyndaquil before Cyndaquil could use its attack but the flames on Cyndaquil's back still made contact with Ariados. Kaida grinned. That would teach the bug Pokémon to get too close to the fire type.

"Agility!" Bugsy ordered.

"Quick Attack!"

Ariados had raised its speed but Cyndaquil was fast too. Using the speedy attack it managed to hit into Ariados.

"Follow it up with Ember!"

The fire move hit the bug type Pokémon and badly damaged it.

"Ariados, use Spider Web!"

"Dodge it!"

Cyndaquil narrowly missed the attack that had strung Mareep up so successfully in Nila's fight with Bugsy at the gym. Cyndaquil was quick though. It could evade these attacks and hopefully would keep doing it for a while.

"Leech Life!"

Cyndaquil couldn't avoid these clinging seeds. There was only one consolation and that was that, as a fire type, Cyndaquil was better equipped to fight bug type moves.

"Fury Swipes, Ariados!"

"Tackle!"

Ariados raised its glinting claws and managed to get a few swipes in as Cyndaquil barrelled into it. Both Pokémon obtained damage from those attacks and they both retreated for a moment to recuperate.

"Spider Web!"

This time Cyndaquil was strung up but a quick blast from its fire managed to burn away the sticky substance. In that time, however, Ariados managed to use Shadow Sneak again and deal more damage to Kaida's Pokémon.

"Flame Wheel!"

Ariados managed to avoid the spinning fire send in its direction but, afterwards, it stepped right in the way of a well placed Ember attack. Kaida smiled proudly. Cyndaquil had come a long way. It was a quick Pokémon both physically and mentally.

"Agility!"

"You can keep up," Kaida insisted. "Use Quick Attack!"

Ariados was a little too fast this time and Cyndaquil's attack missed. It also got caught in another Spider Web attack and, this time, Bugsy was prepared for Cyndaquil to burn its way free and ordered Ariados to send it flying into the lake. Cyndaquil's flame was extinguished immediately and it struggled back to shore. It was now wet and miserable and its flame wasn't relighting properly. Kaida cursed. Of course, she had failed to consider the natural environment as carefully as she should have. She should have told Cyndaquil to keep far away from the water.

"If you can't use your flames then use Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil bobbed its head and darted forwards. Ariados dodged but Cyndaquil went straight for a second attack and used Tackle to send Ariados crumpling to the floor. Ariados was getting weak. Cyndaquil was quick and Ariados could not avoid all of its moves.

"Try Shadow Sneak!"

"Quick Attack!"

Both Pokémon slammed into each other at the same time. They both went reeling backwards. However, only Cyndaquil managed to stagger to its feet again. Ariados was down and out.

Bugsy checked on his Ariados before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Well played," he complimented. "Now, go, Scyther!"

Scyther erupted from the Pokéball and flashed its blades about menacingly. Kaida looked to Cyndaquil. It looked as if it was dry enough to use its fire again. She ordered it to attack with Flame Wheel. She hadn't expected what came next.

"Swords Dance!"

Scyther completely negated Cyndaquil's fiery attack by blowing the flames away with its well placed move. Kaida goggled. That was seriously impressive.

"Try and get closer and use it!"

She thought maybe Scyther wouldn't have time to use the attack but she was wrong. Its performance of the move was impressive. She would have to try a different tactic.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack!"

"Scyther, Agility!"

Scyther was speedy. In fact, it was probably quicker than Ariados, which was a little surprising considering its bulk. Cyndaquil managed to hit Scyther but Scyther quickly lashed back out with a Slash attack.

"Now, Wing Attack!"

The forceful wings sent Cyndaquil recoiling. It staggered weakly and then dropped. It had fainted. Kaida rushed to its side and petted its flameless back. She then released her final Pokémon.

"Go, Gastly! Try Shadow Punch!"

"Wing Attack!"

The Shadow Punch sneaked in and dealt a fair amount of damage to Scyther. Then Gastly was buffeted backwards by the vigorous wings.

"X-Scissor!"

"Gastly, dodge and use Curse!"

Gastly avoided the speedy attack and then made its sacrifice. This was a large gamble. Scyther would eventually faint now, without any further attacking, but Gastly had lost a lot of health and would have to go on the defensive to keep it in the match. Preferably Scyther needed to be hit with Hypnosis. She ordered it to do just that and, to her surprise, it worked, and Scyther fell down, snoozing. Seconds later, however, it was up again.

"I hate Hypnosis," Bugsy told her, "so I equip all my Pokémon with a berry to deal with it."

Yes, Kaida thought, but a berry was one use only.

"Hypnosis again!"

"Get away with Agility!"

Scyther avoided Gastly's attack and then returned to use X- Scissor. It was hardly effective but it was still a powerful move.

"Keep back out of the way," Kaida ordered.

Gastly moved higher but Scyther drew out its wings and flew towards it. Gastly turned tail and ran and Scyther began to pursue it. It managed to catch up but its instinctive Slash attack passed straight through Gastly. Normal moves did not deal any damage at all.

"Use Wing Attack!" Bugsy called.

Scyther managed to hit Gastly and Kaida groaned. It was losing too much health. She hoped her decision to use Curse had not been the wrong one.

"Turn around and use Lick!"

Gastly wagged its tongue and obeyed. Scyther recoiled and shuddered. It retaliated with X-Scissor attack but Gastly evaded it.

"Come on, Gastly," Kaida said, a little annoyed. "Don't you remember when _we _met? You were the master of hiding!"

Gastly seemed to consider this and puffed itself up. Then, to Bugsy's amazement, it seemed to disappear.

"Use the natural environment," Kaida called out. "You are a lot smaller than Scyther! Get in the trees!"

She couldn't tell if Gastly had heard but, either way, it was hiding very successfully. Scyther was flying around, confused, desperately trying to find something that would tip it off to Gastly's whereabouts. It was slashing apart trees and listening for the slightest sound. Gastly was nowhere to be found. Kaida just hoped it hadn't gone too far. She wondered if that counted as cheating. There wasn't an official arena, however, so it was difficult to say.

Scyther was getting weaker and weaker and it eventually had to land due to the effect of the Curse that Gastly had inflicted it with. That was when Kaida felt something press cheekily behind her back. So there it was. That was somewhat reassuring.

Then, in front of her, Scyther fell to the floor. The match was over. Kaida had won. She couldn't help it. She screamed in joy. From around them came the sound of flapping wings as birds left their perches, alarmed.

"Good job Gastly," Kaida beamed.

Gastly licked the side of her face. Kaida was too elated to care.

"You are getting a LOT of food as a reward," Kaida promised.

"Woo," Holly called. "Go Kaida!"

She jumped off the Lapras and paddled to shore. From there she hugged Kaida tightly.

"You're so cool," she said. "I love your Pokémon!"

Bugsy looked a little affronted that his sister preferred someone else's Pokémon over his but the look of offence soon changed to resignation. Of course, it was his sister. She liked to annoy him.

"Well done," Bugsy said.

He handed her the glinting Insect Badge. Kaida received it joyously.

"Thank you!" she said, hugging him now.

She was so happy that he had let her fight two on two because now she had this badge and her face was practically splitting in half from smiling so much.

"As long as you remember to come back someday so we can have another battle," Bugsy said. "I want to fight you three on three. I think Metapod could make all the difference!"

"No way," Kaida said. "But, yeah, sure!"

"We'll see then," Bugsy said, smiling in return.

They watched Holly play with Lapras for a while longer. Kaida looked at the Pokéball for Lapras and sighed.

"Maybe Holly should keep Lapras," she suggested. "She gets along well with it."

"Yes," Bugsy said, "but I think she's a bit young for that sort of responsibility. She likes to play with it, sure, but it needs a more experienced person to deal with it in the long run. Besides, you said you were going to take it back to the sea."

Oh, yeah, she had, Kaida thought, though she had no idea how, short of dragging it along behind her.

"You have time left to get it in there," Bugsy said, noticing her attention fixed on the Pokéball. "Your friend Nila still has to beat me and that isn't going to happen easily."

"I suppose," Kaida said.

Bugsy was right. She couldn't expect miracles. She had to wait for Lapras to recover a bit more and gain more trust in her. Then, and only then, would it go to its Pokéball and she could take it back to its natural home.

"Anyway, I should take Holly home for lunch," Bugsy said. He called out to his sister and she reluctantly returned to shore, waving goodbye to Lapras. He then looked at Kaida. "You should go and visit Kurt. He makes custom Pokéballs. Maybe you could try and get one out of him."

"OK," Kaida said.

She watched Bugsy and Holly leave and she turned back to Lapras, who was looking dolefully after them.

"And I bet you are still too scared of the Pokéball, aren't you?" Kaida said.

Lapras nudged her hand. Kaida held the Pokéball up. For once, Lapras didn't shy away with fear.

"You mean…?" Kaida trailed off, astounded.

Lapras butted her hand again. Kaida clicked the Pokéball and, with a flash of red light, Lapras was sucked into it. Kaida blinked several times. Wow. She couldn't believe it. This had to be the best day she had _ever _had.

Well, apart from meeting Matt. After the whole confusion thing, of course. But then he had left that day too… Well, OK, this was the best day she had had short of her future wedding to Matt. Wedding? Oh dear. Her crush was worse than she had thought…

-

John and Nila were battling each other for training (John had once again decided to take a stab at raising up his Dunsparce) and Flo and Rina were watching with boredom. Flo was polishing her egg, yet again, while her Pokémon bounced happily around her. Wooper and Weepinbell were tussling and Hoppip would occasionally bump into them. Rina's two Slowpoke, on the other hand, were curled up at her feet. They looked to be asleep. This made Rina even more bored. She watched Sandshrew scratching Dunsparce, who would only use Defence Curl in response. Then, suddenly, Dunsparce used Yawn and a little later Sandshrew was snoozing. However, Dunsparce didn't appear to know any attacking moves to deal damage to Sandshrew while it was asleep so this didn't do much good.

Chikorita, Totodile, Hoothoot, and Mareep were watching on the side lines. Rina picked up Mareep, to its alarm, and carried it off. The fluffy sheep was so warm and snugly but she didn't really think it was practical in this weather. She had seen farmers doing it on TV and, while she didn't _exactly_ have a proper sheep razor, she had found her mother's electric leg shaver and was hoping that would work. She clicked it on. It whirred into life and she held Mareep down. Mareep looked increasingly alarmed and this fired up its electricity. Rina gained a nasty shock from its static coat. At the sound of Rina's cry, everyone looked towards her. Nila saw the razor in her hand and her eyes narrowed. She stomped towards Rina and yanked Mareep away from her.

"Were you about to _shave_ Mareep?" she demanded.

"Look at its thick coat," Rina said. "It is hot!"

"No, it isn't!" Nila said furiously. "If I catch you anywhere near my Pokémon with a shaver again then I will shave your hair off and see how you like it."

Rina went into day dream land as she imagined how she would look bald. Not good, she thought, not good at all.

Nila made another angry noise and walked off, her Pokémon running behind her. John and Flo were both staring at Rina like she was a strange, alien specimen.

"What?" Rina squeaked.

At this point Kaida appeared. She ran towards them with Gastly bobbing behind her in the air. She was grinning madly.

"I won against Bugsy!" she cried happily.

"You fought Bugsy?" John asked.

"Yes. I won! Look!"

Kaida showed them all her new badge. Rina's eyes widened at the shininess. Her eyes looked like two buttons in her head.

"Ooh," she said. "Can I stroke?"

"Um, OK?" Kaida said, confused. She let Rina stroke it for a moment and then she pulled open her jacket. "I'll put it right here next to the other one… Hey! Wait! It's gone!"

She patted herself in confusion and then began to search the ground. It had been there this morning! She was sure of it! She had even buffed it up using a little of Flo's egg polish. But now… Where could it be? Had it fallen off in the battle…?

"Um," John said. "Kaida, look."

He pointed at Rina who was now standing several feet away stroking and cooing at a small shiny object. Kaida growled. She ran over and snatched it back.

"You, don't touch them!" she ordered.

She clipped it back on and then added her new badge. Two badges already. This was great. She was so happy.

"Bugsy said that we should visit Kurt because he makes customised Pokéballs," Kaida said.

John looked interested. "I've heard of him. We definitely should pay him a visit. He makes them out of these strange apricorn things. They are meant to be really good! Much better than ordinary, shop bought Pokéballs."

In agreement, they walked back to Azalea Town and asked Rina to lead them to Kurt's house. She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"You've lived here your whole life," John said, exasperated. "How do you not know where it is?"

"I dunno," Rina said, shrugging again.

Eventually John consulted his guide book and managed to find Kurt's house. It was a little out of the way of the town but it was a nice day and a pleasant enough walk since Rina was keeping to herself and plucking random flowers and Flo was still polishing her egg while she walked. This led to her tripping over a tree stump but John caught her before she went flying.

Kurt's house was small and quaint and had a sturdy wooden door. John rapped on it once and an old man came to the door.

"Got apricorns?" he asked.

"Um, no," Kaida said.

"No apricorns, no Pokéballs," the man, presumably Kurt, said.

"Oh," Kaida said, disappointed. "But Bugsy didn't say–"

"Bugsy?" queried Kurt. "He's a nice enough lad. Come in."

The inside of his house was as quaint and cosy as the outside. He offered them all a seat on the sofa or an armchair and went back to his workshop table. From there he began to chisel at a peculiar apricorn. John went to speak to him and they were soon talking a mile a minute about various Pokéball making devices. Kaida sighed. Trust John.

However, it wasn't all a waste of time, because Kurt offered them biscuits and at the end he offered to give them a Pokéball each. He had many varieties.

"Do you have a Slowpoke one?" Rina asked eagerly. She then spotted a pink one. "Slowpoke ball!" She grabbed it. "Can I have this one?"

"It's a Love Ball," Kurt said, "but, yes. Use it on a Pokémon that has the opposite gender to yours."

Rina cocked her head to one side, confused. What did gender have to do with Pokémon? It was all a mystery to her.

"I'm not sure which one to pick," Flo said. "I just like cute and friendly Pokémon."

"Have this then," Kurt said, holding out a green ball. "It's a Friend Ball. The Pokémon will like you more if you use that."

John and Kaida inspected the other balls. There were Moon Balls, Heavy Balls, Fast Balls, Lure Balls, and Level Balls. In the end Kaida picked a Fast Ball, reasoning that many fire Pokémon were fast and it would be useful. John picked a Lure Ball. He loved fishing.

They thanked Kurt and left, promising to return if they found apricorns. Kaida grinned. The day was just getting better and better. Now she had an even better tool to capture more fire Pokémon as well!


	15. Chapter 15: fun in the forest

**15. Rematches, lazy days, and fun in the forest.**

Kaida let Lapras surf around the lake everyday and trained her other Pokémon under the trees. Flo and Rina usually sat and watched and, once, even tried to get their Pokémon to fight. Unfortunately Slowpoke was too lazy and seemed to enjoy the Water Gun attack Wooper was using on it. John sometimes joined them but sometimes walked off exploring. He didn't like to stay still for long. Nila was an even less frequent visitor to the lake and no one seemed to have any idea where she went to train.

Days later and Nila finally decided that it was time to challenge Bugsy again. She wasn't keen on an audience so went by herself to the gym to meet with the green haired leader.

"I certainly hope you've improved from last time," Bugsy said.

Nila stood her ground. She had vastly different tactics this time. She was ready.

"Chikorita, go," she urged.

Bugsy sent out Ariados. Immediately the Pokémon used Agility to increase its speed. Nila had been expecting a Shadow Sneak attack but she did not let this put her off. She followed her plan.

"Chikorita, use Ancient Power!"

The rocks went flying in all directions, which made it extremely difficult for Ariados to evade them all. Once Ariados had been caught by a rock, Chikorita could aim the remainder in its direction. The rock type attack was super effective and Chikorita followed it up with Tackle.

"Now, use Reflect!"

This would protect Chikorita from the brunt of the physical attacks of Ariados for a while at least. The new move meant Chikorita could stay healthier for longer.

Ariados scuttled off, preparing to use Spider Web. However, Nila had been training Chikorita to hit moving targets with Razor Leaf and, when the Spider Web was send spinning in Chikorita's direction, it shredded it.

"Tackle again!" Nila ordered.

Ariados was too quick for Chikorita this time and it dodged behind the smaller Pokémon and managed to use Fury Swipes. It tried to follow it up with Leech Seed but Chikorita managed to bat those away with Razor Leaf too.

"Impressive," Bugsy admitted.

"I got the idea from your Scyther," Nila replied.

Bugsy then ordered, "Shadow Sneak!"

The attack rammed into Chikorita before it could react. Ariados was still a little faster than the grass Pokémon. Chikorita managed to recuperate quickly with another Razor Leaf that sent Ariados dodging into the undergrowth. Chikorita took this time to use Synthesis to regain its health. Ariados leapt out with another surprise Spider Web and this one actually hit Chikorita. However, it was soon destroyed and Chikorita wiggled free. That was the problem for gym leaders, Nila thought. People could re-challenge them after training especially to combat their tactics.

"Razor Leaf!"

The attack wasn't effective against Ariados but it was chipping away at the bug Pokémon's health bit by bit. Ariados tried another Leech Seed and this time it hit Chikorita. Chikorita wailed as its health began to drain away and Ariados was replenished. Nila gritted her teeth. She had to act more quickly. She refused to lose again.

"Go, Chikorita, Ancient Power!"

Ariados had been in close quarters to use Leech Seed, since last time Chikorita had dodged, and the powerful rock attack slammed into Ariados and sent it crumpling to the ground. It stood up again, weakly, but then fell back down. Ariados was finished.

Next came Metapod. Chikorita's reflect had worn off and so Nila ordered Chikorita to use it again while Metapod used Harden. Hopefully it would combat the powerful Tackle that Metapod had used before. Gastly would have been the perfect Pokémon to combat that, Nila thought, but she would have to make do without.

"Ancient Power!"

Moving surprisingly fast for a Metapod, the bug managed to move out the way. The next Ancient Power attack hit it head on, but it had used many Harden Attacks by this point, which managed to shield it from the worst of the damage. Nila doubted Chikorita had the strength to use Ancient Power anymore so they would have to settle for Razor Leaf and try to dodge Metapod's Tackle attacks.

It wasn't to be. Metapod was scarcely affected by Chikorita's grass move and it soon managed to slam forcefully into Chikorita and knock it out. Nila gathered up Chikorita and sent out her second Pokémon.

Mareep was released from its Pokéball and Nila crossed her fingers.

"Fire up, Mareep," Nila said. "I told you what to do."

Mareep used Thundershock and managed to deal some damage from Metapod, as its hard shell was more effective at blocking physical attacks. Metapod then dealt Mareep a forceful Tackle attack that had Mareep flying backwards. However, Mareep had done its work. Metapod had touched its static coat and, unlike Ariados in Nila's first battle against Bugsy, Metapod was successfully paralysed.

"Now, Thundershock, again!"

Mareep could now battle Metapod and, for the most part, it was unable to fight back. It managed to move itself to use one Tackle attack but Mareep easily dodged. Soon Mareep managed to knock it out. Now they had to move onto Scyther.

"Mareep, use Sand Attack!"

"Wing Attack!"

Scyther easily blew the sand away and a lot of it flew back and hit Mareep. It blinked, partially blinded, and missed horribly when it attempted a Thundershock attack.

"Now, Slash!"

Mareep was hit harshly by the Slash attack but managed to retaliate with Tackle. From there it used Thundershock, which was a super effective move. However, Scyther was a strong Pokémon and could take a lot more damage than that. It used X-Scissor and Mareep found itself clinging on.

"Use Cotton Spore!"

Since Mareep was so close to Scyther, it didn't manage to blow the attack away successfully. These spores would help Nila's next Pokémon as it had lowered Scyther's speed. Even a little would help when faced with Scyther's Agility attack.

Scyther's health was getting lower two and, as it did, Nila noticed its bug moves noticeably increased in power. It was of little surprise when Mareep failed to avoid an X-Scissor and fainted. She recalled the Pokémon and sent out her last. Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew, use Night Slash!"

"Slash, Scyther!"

The two Pokémon clashed into each other with their sharp claws. They both obtained damage but Scyther was larger and stronger and so it managed to shove Sandshrew backwards. Sandshrew tumbled head over heels but got up quickly.

"Use Wing Attack!" Bugsy ordered.

Sandshrew was a ground type Pokémon and so, like Chikorita, he was extremely susceptible to flying moves. Sandshrew sent back a Swift attack to try to ward Scyther off. It seemed to work. Scyther used Agility and tried to dodge Sandshrew's next attack but it used Swift again and hit dead on. The attack was far faster than Scyther.

"Scyther," Bugsy said, frustrated, "use X-Scissor."

"Swift!"

Scyther knocked many of the stars away and went slamming into Sandshrew with a powerful attack. Sandshrew was severely weakened but fought back with a Scratch attack. Scyther countered with Slash. Then, Sandshrew raised its claws and did the same. Nila blinked. It had leant Slash. Well, this battle would be worth something no matter the outcome then.

"Come on, Sandshrew," she encouraged. "Keep going. Slash!"

Sandshrew charged with determination and met Scyther head on. This time it succeeded and Scyther was the one to stagger backwards. Then, almost in slow motion, it toppled.

Nila had won.

-

"So this means that we are finally leaving this town," Flo said.

Nila nodded. "Unless anyone else wants to do anything."

John and Kaida looked at each other and shrugged. They had nothing else they wanted to do. Lapras was securely in its Pokéball and John had his precious guidebook in his hand. They didn't need much else. They turned and started to walk towards Ilex Forest.

"Waaaaait!" someone called.

They all looked around confused. No, they were all there. They hadn't forgotten anyone. They continued to walk on.

"Noooo!"

They looked around to see purple hair moving towards them. It was Rina.

"Do you think we can outrun her?" Nila asked.

She was still sour about Rina trying to shave all of the hair from her Mareep.

"I don't know," Kaida said. "We could try?"

Rina skidded to a halt in front of them, gasping for breath. They waited for her to speak. She gasped for breath again. John patted her on the back. She collapsed on the floor. She sounded like she was dying.

"I think this is the first exercise she has done in her life," Flo speculated. "I don't think she's ever run anywhere before!"

Rina tried to glare at her but this was mitigated by the fact that she was still wheezing horribly as she tried to catch her breath. They all waited impatiently for several minutes.

Finally, she gasped, "Mum… Dad… They said… Must go… Travel… Brother…"

Nila muttered something nasty under her breath. Kaida agreed. Yeah, Rina wanted to go with then. There was no escaping now.

-

Azalea Town was surrounded by trees but they were more sparsely laid out than the ones in Ilex Forest. The trees there were evergreen and cramped together. They didn't let much light in so the whole forest was dark and gloomy and even surreal in places. Flo was not a fan. John loved it. He had a book of plant specimen out and was examining almost every new thing they went by. It meant very slow progress.

"Oh for crying out loud," Kaida finally snapped. "It's a plant. It has leaves and stems and green stuff."

John wasn't fazed. He muttered something about chlorophyll and photosynthesis and jotted a pencil note next to something in his plant book.

"Ugh!" Kaida exclaimed.

"Plants can be very useful to you as well," John told her. "You said that Bugsy used a berry to wake up his Scyther. It was probably a Chesto Berry and if you take a look around you could find some and use them too. Like here. Cheri Berries. Very common."

He pulled a plastic pot from his enormous backpack and put some into it.

"They cure paralysis," he informed them. "That would be very useful!"

Kaida had to grudgingly admit that he had a point. However, she still didn't see why he had to examine every single plant they came across. Not all of them had berries. Some had uses that weren't to do with Pokémon as well but most of them were completely useless.

"Ah," John said. "Mushrooms!"

"Mushrooms?!" Rina said.

She walked over and stretched her hand out to pick one. John shoved her hand away.

"Those are poisonous," he told her.

"How can you tell?"

John went into a rapid speech about different markings and he then pulled out his _Mushrooms of the Forest _book. He found the correct mushroom and began to explain it more to Rina. Rina was staring at the mushrooms and she appeared to have gone into her own little world, not absorbing a thing he was saying.

"Gah!" Kaida cried. "I can't take this anymore!"

John's rambling was going to be the end of her. She slammed her head into a nearby tree. This really didn't help things. She was going to have an awful headache – maybe even a bump – and then suddenly something fell down on her, shaken from the tree by her slamming into it.

"Ooh!" John exclaimed. "A Pineco! I want one of those!"

The Pineco looked a little alarmed and attempted to hop away. Totodile was too quick. It blasted the poor Pineco with a Water Gun and headed off in pursuit. John ran after it, trying desperately to avoid trampling on anything fragile in the undergrowth. He returned about ten minutes later with a quacking Totodile and a Pokéball clutched triumphantly in his hand.

"Thanks, Kaida," he said cheerfully.

"Guh," Kaida said from behind the wet flannel that was being pressed to her face to stop the swelling.

After five minutes of Kaida nursing her bruised head, they decided to move on before Rina decided to try and pick more poisonous mushrooms or berries. John led them along the forest path, looking excitedly around the environment. Rina and Flo followed right behind him, with Flo cringing at the dark depths of the forest as she clung to Rina's arm. Rina, on the other hand, was almost as excited as John, because she had never travelled before and was soaking in the whole experience. Nila and Kaida took the rear, making sure Rina and Flo didn't get into trouble. Kaida could see Rina itching to run off to find Butterfree and Beedrill. Cyndaquil was again perched on Kaida's shoulder and Chikorita was trotting along a little way in front of the pair, with its head held high, most likely due to its victory the previous day.

Kaida was just showing her fast ball from Kurt to Nila, who was looking at it with some jealousy, when, suddenly, a cry from further up the path caused the two girls to look up in confusion and alarm. John, at the front of the pack, had also turned and looked in amazement at what he saw. Kaida and Nila, on the other hand, burst out laughing. Flo and Rina were now being suspended from a tree of what they guessed was a bug catching net. Flo did not look amused.

"I told you not to pick that up!" Flo shouted, trying to pull herself up into a dignified position.

"But it is cheese," Rina protested. "You can't leave good cheese like this just lying around."

"You can if it has being lying in the dirt all day!" Flo stared at her incredulously.

"Ahh, but the three second rule!" Rina tapped her nose in what she probably assumed was a wise move.

"It hasn't been there three seconds," Flo said angrily. "Now put it down."

"Hey, you aren't a Weedle," a male voice said angrily.

"No, I'm bloody well not," Flo hissed, looking down to see a young lanky boy with sandy blonde tufted hair, wearing what could only be described as a bush.

"I am Florence Marigold Bell, and you will let me down this bloody instance!"

At this statement, Flo waved her arms erratically that made her look like a very angry Pidgey

"Haha, you're a bush." Rina giggled.

"Your powers of observation are faultless," answered the boy dryly, as he lowered the net. "Now get out of my net and give me my cheese."

"Never! It is mine! You left it on the ground!" Rina glared, holding the horrid smelling cheese close to her chest.

"What kind of idiot picks up cheese from the ground anyway?" the boy countered.

"Our idiot, unfortunately," Nila said, sighing, as she and Kaida approached the now released fair.

"What were you trying to catch anyway?" John asked.

"Weedle," the boy said proudly, before lunging at Rina, wrestling the cheese away from her, and placing it back where she had originally picked it up.

John had to hold her arm to prevent her from picking up the dirty cheese again.

"Well, good luck with that." John smiled. "We must be off."

He waved goodbye to the boy before dragging Rina off. The three other girls could hear him lecturing her not to pick up anything else from the floor. Her punishment from the cheese incident meant that she would have to stay upfront with John where he could keep an eye on her. This, to Kaida's horror, meant that Flo was now hanging from her bag again. Why her? Oh yes. Flo wouldn't dare touch Nila out of fear. Oh, Lugia! Kaida wished that she had "The Fear." If she did then she wouldn't have any troubles with limpets like Flo.

After a long while of walking – and watching John drag Rina to and fro to examine a few trees – another boy came running from the path up ahead.

Nila narrowed her eyes. "Oh, Ho-oh, what now?"

Nila looked at the fast approaching teenager and wondered what could possibly happen next. She thought that she had filled up her quota of annoying people for the day already.

The boy wore three quarter length combat trousers and a black t shirt, so at least he looked normal compared to the bush boy. His hair was black and white like a stunk, which Nila found rather amusing. She thought of Stunky and how she might have to use it as a nickname.

"Hey!" The boy wheezed as he reached them. "Can you help me my Dad's Farfetch'd. It escaped and I can't catch it. I'm not allowed too deep into the forest." He looked sadly at the ground, ashamed of his failure.

"Never fear!" John grinned. "We shall catch your Farfetch'd!"

"We?" Nila raised her eyebrow

"Come on guys, we are a team, we can do anything, we are unbeatable!" John rambled on excitedly.

Rina looked totally entranced by his speech, while Flo looked a bit worried about what else was lurking in the forest.

"Methinks John has sniffed too many mushrooms," Kaida whispered to Nila, who nodded in agreement.

"Come on Kaida!" John said encouragingly. "You are my number one Pokémon catcher. Your head is unbeatable."

Kaida glared at him but figured that she would have no peace if she didn't agree to help out.

"Fine," Kaida said. "Come on you two."

She pulled Flo along with her and glared at Nila to follow.

"All right. Fine." Nila folded her arms across her chest. "But I get the frying pan this time."

She marched off after the two. John looked delighted and informed the boy that they would bring the Pokémon back here in a matter of seconds. However, he was gravely mistaken.

"Look there it goes," John shouted, running after it like a mad man.

The Farfetch'd easily dodged his hands as it ran between the trees.

"Walloping Wailmer," John cursed, as the Farfetch'd seemingly laughed at him from a fair distance away.

Rina and Flo had already given up and had let their Pokémon out for a bit of air. Nila and Kaida followed in suit, with the sole exception of Lapras.

"This is ridiculous," Nila growled, tapping the frying pan against her leg. "Why the hell is it so fast?"

"Maybe its on crack like Totodile." Kaida shrugged

"Totodile is not on crack!" John shouted from afar as he attempted to catch the bird Pokémon again.

"What's crack?" Rina tilted her head and looked towards Kaida and Nila.

"A drug," Nila said bluntly.

"What's that?"

"A drug is a chemical used by some people to make them stronger or faster or even happier," Nila said, sounding extremely bored. "Normal medicines are drugs but crack is a recreational drug."

"Like a Poffin!" Rina smiled.

"Noooo." Kaida raised her eyebrows at the girls overwhelming denseness. "It is nothing like a Poffin"

"Mmm. Poffins are yummy." Rina sighed as she returned to her dream land phase, with her chin propped up on her hand, and a far away look in her blue eyes.

She ate Poffins?! Nila and Kaida both exchanged startled looks at this news. Sure, they were edible, but they were for Pokémon!

"That child needs help," Kaida informed Nila, who was still twitching from what she had heard.

"Would you two give me a hand?!" John yelled in frustration, falling over in his attempt to lunge for the leak wielding bird.

"Hmm, Gastly!" Kaida grinned. "Sneak up behind it and give it a Lick."

Gastly chuckled and disappeared from sight. A few seconds later it appeared behind Farfetch'd and grinned manically. The bird felt its terrifying presence and turned around to face the floating face. In one swift lick the bird twitched and fell to the floor, successfully paralysed.

"Get it!" John yelled, racing over to claim it.

Kaida watched in horror as the bird tried to get up and so she lunged for it. She landed on top of it, by accident, as she misaimed her jump, but still prevented it from escaping. Unfortunately, John had done the same and, a second later, his body was crushing hers and Farfetch'd. Kaida choked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Kaida," John apologised, getting to his feet quickly.

"I think I coughed up my spleen!" Kaida spluttered, as John pulled the unconscious bird from under her. Cyndaquil had run to her side, immediately looking worried and pushing her side to make her get up.

"Body Slam from the big green giant," Nila sighed, referring to John's favourite green jacket. "Not a good day for you, is it, Kaida?"

John made the mistake of laughing at Nila's words as he handed Farfetched to Flo. Cyndaquil fired up its back and let rip at the boy that had crushed its trainer.

"Ahh, no, Cyndaquil! I didn't mean to hurt her! Cut it out!" John yelled, trying to dodge the flames. "Kaida make it stop!"

Kaida had managed to prop herself up and she beckoned Cyndaquil to her. The small creature was at her side in a flash, much to John's relief. He rolled on the grass to put the fire out and Totodile and Wooper also used their Water Gun attack to completely soak him while Kaida hugged her Cyndaquil, praising it for protecting her.

Nila wondered if it was really wise to

After all the fire was gone, and John had apologised profusely to both Kaida and Cyndaquil, he had run off quickly back down the path to return Farfetch'd to the boy. On returning, he informed them that the boy had told him of a Pokémon shrine near the middle of their route. They walked in silence for the remainder of the walk, except from the odd out burst from Rina who was now carrying both her slowpoke one under each arm. Secretly they were all rather impressed at her strength. Her Slowpoke weren't exactly trim. Then, from around the corner, the tall wooden shrine came into view, and John looked in awe as they gathered around the shrine after their lengthy walk.

"It is said to honour Celebi, the guardian of this forest," John said reading from his guide book.

"Is that the Pokémon that looks like an onion?" Rina asked. "Because I've seen them everywhere!"

"That's Oddish," John said, now sounding a little irritated at Rina's ignorance. "Celebi is an extremely rare Pokémon and I doubt you have ever seen it or ever will"

"I wonder if Oddish smell like onions," Rina continued, seemingly unaware to John's explanation.

"Urgh. Why do I bother?" John sighed, slapping his hand to his head.

"A good question," Nila muttered.

She wasn't stupid enough to let him hear it though. She feared his creepy grin too much and, since he knew her weakness, she was afraid he would use it again her.

"Come on," Nila said loudly instead. "Let's go. I want to get to Golden Rod sometime this year."

Nila marched on Kaida and Flo in tow. Rina was still rambling so John grabbed her and, like she had with her Slowpoke, tucked her under his arm.

"Do you know," Rina said, "that my name means vegetable."

"That explains the content of your brain," John said in a kind tone.

"Huh?" Rina frowned, confused. Then: "Hey!"

John shook his head. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed.

**--**


	16. Chapter 16: marshmallow brains

**16. Marshmallow brains, punches in the night, and beach challenges.**

In a battle between Totodile and Flo's Wooper, Totodile managed to learn Ice Fang, which so greatly impressed John that, that night, they ate the last of the brownies that Kaida had cooked at Rina's house. They were delicious. John then, in further celebration, whipped out a packet of marshmallows and suggested they toast them over the fire.

"Two sweet things in one night?" Nila said, raising her eyebrows. "What's wrong with you, John?"

"Hey," John said. "I can overindulge."

Nila and Kaida both snorted with laughter.

"I can!"

To prove this he stuffed his face with more than a few marshmallows. He then tried to chew and his eyes enlarged comically and he ran to spit them in a bush. Now all the girls were laughing at him.

"I feel victimised," he said. "I'm the only boy."

"It's not because you are a boy," Kaida said. "It's because you eat about ten damn apples every day!"

"I do not! That is a gross exaggeration!"

Kaida cleared her throat. "Let's reflect. You had one after waking up and you said, and I quote, that an apple can wake people up better than coffee in the morning."

They all nodded in agreement. John folded his arms across his chest defensively.

"Yeah, that's one."

"Then you had one about ten o'clock for a light snack," Flo added. "You said it was extra crunchy."

"Oooh, and then there was a Caterpie eating a rotten apple," Rina said excitedly, "and you told me off for touching it."

They all gave her a funny look.

"She does have a point," Nila said. "You said the apple, no matter how mouldy, had made you a bit peckish, and so you had one after that at about eleven thirty."

"Then, of course," Kaida continued, "you had one at lunch."

"Then at two o'clock. You said something about lots of acid and needing to clean your teeth vigorously."

"Oh, yeah, and then before dinner," Flo added. "Then after you had an evening stroll while we were setting up camp."

"That's only seven!" John protested. "It isn't ten at all! Like I said, it was a gross exaggeration!"

They all rolled their eyes in response.

A minute later, Rina whispered, "Why are exaggerations gross?"

There was a collective groan.

John got out the marshmallows and they handed some to the Pokémon too. It was a bit difficult for everyone to fit around the fire and so some of the Pokémon – like Totodile and Chikorita – decided that they should toast their marshmallows on Cyndaquil's back. Kaida realised this in horror later when Cyndaquil's flame extinguished and she had to wipe all of the sticky, burnt spots off.

John offered Nila a marshmallow and she recoiled.

"Er, sorry?" he asked.

"Don't even try it," Kaida said. "She hates them."

"Why?" Flo asked. "They're yummy. Mmm." She put one in her mouth. A second later her hand was around her throat and she spat it out. "Ow, ow, ow, hot!"

"You idiot," Kaida said simply.

"Why don't you like marshmallows?" Rina asked. "They're cute." She giggled.

Rina's little giggle scared Nila as much as John's creepy grin. It sounded like a deceptively cute demon baby was trying to giggle to lure its mother closer so it could eat her head off. At least, in Nila's ears it did. The others weren't fond of it, and certainly found it extremely annoying, but they weren't quite as deranged.

"Marshmallows look and taste like brains."

"And you would know how brains taste like, _how_?" John asked.

Kaida groaned. "Don't argue with her. She'll win. Even if it is stupid and illogical."

"It is not stupid," Nila said crossly. "Look at them. All squishy. Like baby brains. Or adult brains. Have you seen inside a human skull? I have."

"You have?!" John said, now more than alarmed. He could just imagine Nila getting curious as a small child and cracking someone's head open with a stone.

"On TV," Nila said scornfully. "Not in real life. Honestly."

"Give in," Kaida advised.

John shook his head in disbelief but didn't say anything else. He looked up to see Rina was trying to poke the fire.

"Rina!" he snapped. "Stop it!"

Flo pulled Rina's hand back.

"It's so pretty," Rina said. "I can see pictures when I stare into it." She looked around the circle and said sagely, "They are dancing."

"Dear Lugia…" Kaida muttered.

Now Rina was flapping something else at the fire. On closer inspection she was trying to waft the flames with John's precious guidebook.

"That's it!" John said. "Time out. You're going in the sin bin."

He grabbed Rina's arm, seized his guidebook, and made her sit over by one of the trees, far away from the fire. She was left to eat some cold marshmallows as John returned to toast more of his.

"It's cooold," Rina whinged.

"You should have thought of that before," John said.

"Yeah. It's a shame you're out there," Nila said. "Man-eating bugs are scared of fire."

"Man… Man-eating bugs?" Rina's lip trembled.

"Oh, yeah, they love dark forests like this. Easier to sneak up on their prey."

Flo whacked Nila in the arm. She had grown bolder recently with Nila, although she still shrunk back visibly when Nila gave her a death glare in response.

"She'll be up all night with her nightmares," Flo hissed. "Idiot."

Nila shrugged. "I can sleep through anything."

"Guys?" Rina asked shakily. "I think something is moving behind me."

"That's probably all right then," Nila said. "They tend to drop down on you from above. They cover your face so that you can't scream!"

Rina squeaked in fear.

The wind blew gently through the forest and rustled a few leaves. Rina screamed and scrambled back to the camp fire.

"Don't make me sit there!" she begged John. "Please! They're gonna eat me!"

John looked at her sternly. "Do you know what you have to do?"

Rina blinked. "No?"

"Promise that you will _never_ touch my guidebook again," John said. "Otherwise I'll lace your food with a special scent that draws those giant bugs to you."

Kaida was amused but she did feel a little sorry for the gullible Rina. She probably shouldn't have touched John's stuff but she seemed to have no concept of most normal social conventions. She was worse than Flo and Nila combined. Nila knew them – she just ignored them – and Flo was a bit crazy but did normally know not to hold people's possessions over fire, although she had been a bit slow on the uptake when she had teased Kaida and got a bin thrown at her.

Rina whimpered the rest of the night. Now Kaida really did regret Nila telling the story because no one seemed to be able to get to sleep apart from her. They had tried to wake her up in revenge but Flo had just got a swift punch in the face from Nila's flailing fists.

Yeah. Kaida should have probably mentioned those sorts of hazards before Flo got near her. Oops.

-

It took a long time to navigate their way through Ilex Forest due John's detours. However, finally, they emerged on the Goldenrod side of the trees and prepared to walk across open land towards the city. It was still a fair distance away. The land was mainly flat, which was relieving, as Rina already complained about her feet hurting enough.

"We need to head east," Kaida said.

"Oh, yeah," John said, nodding. "The sea. OK. Detour."

Kaida would hardly call that a detour when he hadn't used that word once when running off randomly sideways every five minutes to check on a new plant specimen, delaying them for at least half an hour.

"Beach!" Rina squealed. "Sand!"

"Well, I'm not sure if it is sandy," John said, flicking desperately through his guidebook. "It doesn't say. The picture just shows the sea and some of the little villages on the way."

"Guide book fails again!" Kaida teased.

"I don't think it is a very important thing for it to say," John objected.

Kaida sighed. One thing was for sure. John was deeply and irrevocably in love with that guidebook. It was quite disturbing. She didn't think it was the right time to remind him of Matt's new version. She thought John might have an apoplectic fit from rage and jealousy.

They travelled north east so that they were still making progress towards Goldenrod but would reach the sea as well. As they walked they all talked about the things they wanted to do in Goldenrod City. One of the major topics was the enormous new department store.

"It's practically a skyscraper," Flo said.

"How would you know?" Kaida asked.

Flo took John's guidebook and flipped to the relevant page to show them a picture of it.

"That's not a skyscraper!" John laughed. "Look at it being dwarfed by those other buildings. Look at the radio tower! That is far bigger."

Flo shrugged. "Well it _is _big."

"Yeah, but not a skyscraper!"

"All right! Anyway," Flo continued, "I can't wait to go shopping there. I have plenty of money saved up."

She reached into her Clefairy purse and started to count. She tripped over a hole in the ground and the money went flying everywhere.

"Shiny!" Rina said, running after the coins.

Flo managed to recover most of her money but Rina refused to give back the shiniest coin. She put it in her own purse in a special compartment especially for her shiny collection. The collection was enormous and, according to Rina, it had all been collected since she had left Azalea Town. She had a far bigger collection at home. After hearing this, and doubting she could have found all those coins on the ground, they all checked their wallets. They did feel a little lighter…

"She's worse than Hoothoot," Kaida said. "We'll never get that back from her! Pest."

Rina scrunched up her face in indignation. "Not a pest!"

No one commented. They didn't need to.

When they finally arrived at the sea, a few days later, it was near a small fishing village. They camped a little way away from it for the night and decided to explore the next day. Rina was extremely excited because the beach was made of both sand and pebbles and she was already imagining the fun she could have.

"And a big sandcastle as high as an ice cream van!" she cried in her sleep.

Kaida resisted the urge to hit her with a pillow. Yes, hit her with a pillow _after_ she had set the pillow alight. It was difficult but she managed to stop herself. When the sun crept over the horizon at dawn, Kaida had had little sleep thanks to Rina's seaside mumblings and, consequently, she was not in the best of moods. She scowled through breakfast with a face reminiscent of angry Nila, who, in reverse, was in a surprisingly good mood. John's guide had said there was a particularly nice milkshake shop and she wanted to visit it.

They reached the beach and Rina immediately purchased and ice cream and started to eat it enthusiastically. John finished crunching his breakfast apple and threw the core away. Flo was staring at touristy souvenirs. She was thinking of sending some home. They would presumably be shoved haphazardly into her house and make the mismatch décor even worse. Kaida still remembered Bellsprout and Goldeen memorabilia. It hadn't gone well together. It was also a little creepy to wake up in the middle of the night next to a wide eyed Goldeen rug.

"Wow," John exclaimed. "We've come on a good day! This is the water sport week!"

They all regarded him blankly.

"Yeah, they have all sorts of competitions for various prizes. It's amazing!"

"Well, that's nice," Kaida said, "but I've really got to go and put Lapras in the sea."

"Ooh, a fete!" Flo said, running off.

Rina tried to follow Flo but half her ice cream fell on the floor when she moved too quickly. Her eyes crumpled and her lip quivered. She was going to cry.

"Ugh," Nila said. She hated crying people. "See you later."

"Yeah, bye," Kaida said.

John was left with the whimpering Rina. He looked panicked.

"It's all right," he said, patting her on the back awkwardly. "How about I get you another ice cream?"

"Really?!" Rina said, brightening up in a flash. "Thanks!"

If it had been anyone else then John would have felt like he had been duped. However, since it was Rina, he doubted whether she had the brains to pull that off.

Kaida walked a small distance from the village before she released Lapras far enough out to sea that it wouldn't be beached and stranded. Lapras looked confused at first, just as it had at the lake, and then it began to splash about happily, recognising its home.

"Are you going to be able to find your way from here?" Kaida asked. "Maybe you have family. I hope you can find them."

Lapras swam closer and Kaida threw down her bag, kicked off her shoes, rolled up her trousers, and waded into the sea. She patted its head. Cyndaquil watched anxiously from the shore. It tried to follow, running down the shoreline, but would scramble backwards every time there was a wave. It didn't seem to realise the waves were constant and so kept rushing forward when the water drew out, only to retreat hastily as the sea thwarted its plans by rolling back in.

"You should see the contests they have," Nila's voice said suddenly.

Kaida jumped. She hadn't realised Nila was there. Cyndaquil had and was pawing at Nila, hoping she had some kind of solution to its current predicament. It wanted to be back with its trainer. Chikorita looked at it scornfully and waded in a little way. It looked back and poked its tongue out, showing it was not afraid of the water. Only, when it did this, a large wave was caused by a passing boat, and Chikorita was submerged. When the water drew back again, it spluttered desperately and moved back to shore, looking for sympathy from Nila. After receiving none, it shook itself deliberately so it splashed Nila and Cyndaquil with a fair amount of sea water. Cyndaquil wailed. It hated water.

"I'll put your umbrella on in a minute," Kaida promised. "Then you can be safe from sea spray."

Nila rolled her eyes. The umbrella looked ridiculous but Kaida loved it. She thought it was adorable.

"What were you saying about contests?" Kaida asked.

"There are a lot. John has entered Totodile in the Water Gun challenge. There is also one where you have to race on top of a Pokémon through the buoys. There are loads of prizes."

"Like what?"

"A giant Lugia plushie."

Kaida ran back to the beach. "Seriously?!"

She loved Lugia. It was so cute! She hadn't been able to find the perfect plushie though. She had looked far and wide but none had turned up. Was this an opportunity…?

"I don't have any Pokémon to race on," she said dismally. "I mean, Cyndaquil is terrified of water and I can't exactly cling onto Gastly." She pulled a face. "And don't even suggest Totodile. That thing is insane."

"I was going to suggest Lapras," Nila said. "As a good bye thing. You can have a quick race and then Lapras can go out to sea and look for its family or eat some fish or do whatever a Lapras likes to do."

Kaida looked over at Lapras. It didn't seem opposed to the idea.

"How do I sign up?" she asked.

Nila handed her a form. "I took the liberty."

Kaida narrowed her eyes at Nila. How was she so sneaky and knowing? It was creepy.

"OK. So I just have to show up? Great!"

She hopped on the back of the water Pokémon.

"Let's go!"

Lapras splashed happily and zoomed off. Kaida yelped and fell off. Nila laughed. Lapras gave what only could be described as a sheepish look and came back for its trainer. Kaida tugged herself back up and clung desperately to its shell.

"I wasn't made for this," she groaned. "You know I get sea sick!"

"This is hardly the same," Nila said, gathering up Kaida's things. "Grow a backbone and win that stupid toy."

"It's not stupid!" Kaida called back.

She saw Nila shaking her head as Lapras picked up speed and Kaida had to cling on for dear life. She also saw Cyndaquil trying to run along the beach after her, although it was becoming smaller and smaller as Lapras got faster and faster. Then Kaida turned green and had to stop watching. It was making her feel sick. Water. Ugh. It was just so unnatural…

-

John lost out to a Squirtle in the Water Gun contest but happily collected the consolation prize of a toffee apple. It was not a well known fact, but John _did _have a sweet tooth for toffee. It was scrumptious. So, with a toffee apple, he could have two of his food loves in one, which made him immensely happy. It was little surprise that he forgot to keep an eye on Rina and Flo as he enjoyed his tasty snack. After all, Flo and Rina were only one year younger than the rest of them. Surely they had some sense…? John thought about this as he took the final bite of his prize. Actually, that was quite doubtful. He had better find them quickly or who knew what might happen. With visions of the town exploding, John ran off.

Rina and Flo actually hadn't travelled far. Rina was happily digging holes with her new bucket and spade and Flo was trying to sunbathe while clutching her precious egg to her chest. It had to be close to hatching soon. She was extremely impatient. Ah! The time had to be near!

She was interrupted when Rina squealed.

"Ooh! A duck! At the beach!"

Flo opened her eyes to see a Psyduck plodding along the shore. It looked completely confused but even she knew that was just natural. She looked between Rina and Psyduck. She could definitely see some resemblances in their behaviour. Rina had been excited to see the duck but was now spaced out again, staring at a sea shell. Flo closed her eyes and went back to sunbathing. The next thing she knew, something heavy was on her chest.

"Rina, get off," she complained.

"I'm not doing anything!"

Flo cautiously opened one eye. Psyduck was on her chest and looming over her so there were only inches between their faces. Flo sat up in shock and Psyduck rolled off her, hitting its head on the rock next to her.

"Psy!" it complained loudly, rubbing his head.

"Hehe!" Rina said. She ran over and poked Psyduck in the head.

"Duck?!"

It was clutching its head as Rina poked it again. Then Rina gained a giant grin and she poked it rapidly with both fingers, laughing all the while. Flo noticed Psyduck's expression getting more and more painful and she got up and scrambled backwards.

"Um, Rina, maybe you should stop doing that," Flo suggested weakly. "It doesn't look very happy."

Rina just giggled and continued poking, now with sound effects.

"Poke, poke, poke, poke, poke…"

"Psy!" Psyduck wailed.

It scrunched its eyes shut. Flo walked further backwards. This was not going to end well. With one final poke, and another giggle, Psyduck let out a loud cry of its name and a psychic wave of some kind burst from it. Rina was blown backwards. Psyduck flopped forwards on the sand, looking very confused.

"Wow," Flo said. She rushed over to check if Rina was all right.

With Flo's help, Rina managed to get up, but she staggered around as if dizzily drunk and then collapsed again. She would be fine, Flo thought. Well, she hoped so. She looked back at Psyduck.

"That was actually kind of cool," she said thoughtfully.

She grabbed a Pokéball and threw it at the water type Pokémon. It was sucked into the ball and it only shook a few times before it clicked firmly shut. Flo put her arms in the air in triumph. Now she had a super cool and powerful Psyduck!

It was like this that John found them. Rina was still on the sand, slack-faced and moaning, and Flo was looking triumphant. She couldn't wait to boast about her new Pokémon's powers.

"Oh," John said, after she stopped explaining. "Yeah, I think all Psyduck do that if you give them a headache."

Flo wavered. It wasn't a special Psyduck? Well, it was still powerful…

"And that is pretty much all most of them do," John said. "Unless you are an excellent trainer it is difficult to teach them moves. They have a permanent headache and so normally only attack when that gets unbearable."

Flo huffed. Why did this _always_ happen to her?!

"Ugh!" she said crossly. "No one asked you, boffin boy."

She stomped off. Special indeed. This was humiliating. This egg better have something immensely cute in or she was going to cry.

-

By the time of the race, the wind had picked up the sea was spraying everywhere as all the spectators waited on the short pier. Kaida had strapped the umbrella to Cyndaquil and it waited with Nila, Chikorita, John, and Totodile. She hoped Lapras would be able to navigate the course itself because she knew that she was just going to be clinging desperately onto the back of it, desperately trying not to throw up.

"OK, Lapras, follow the buoys," she muttered, "and, please, try not to make it a bumpy ride."

Beside her there were various Pokémon. There was a Seel, a Mantine, a Whiscash, a Blastoise, and a Gyarados, amongst others, all preparing for the horn to go off. Kaida braced herself. It would go off any second now…

It sounded!

Lapras sped off immediately and Kaida tightened her grip. These were insane speeds over water! Her stomach began to churn. The sea had become rough almost instantly with all the movement, especially from the Gyarados, moving just ahead of them and whipping its large tail.

"Go, Seel!" a girl cried.

Kaida glanced at her. It looked like she was having a little difficulty staying on the Pokémon. She had to admit that Lapras was a much better design for riding on than most of the other Pokémon. She thought that she even saw a boy in swimming trunks being dragged along by a Corsola. That had to be one tough Pokémon.

The Whiscash darted in front of them and Lapras had to swerve sharply to avoid slamming into the back of it. Kaida slid from one side of Lapras's shell to the other. She narrowly avoided falling off. She tightened her grip as Lapras glided past the boy and his Whiscash and moved further towards the front of the race.

Lapras was a quick swimmer. They had moved past most of the Pokémon and were neck and neck at the front of the race with Gyarados and Blastoise. They moved further out to sea and Kaida became aware that Mantine was catching up in the deeper waters. They sped around a corner and Blastoise, on the outside, fell behind briefly, but soon caught up again. Gyarados had pulled far ahead. Its bulk made it able to get in the way of Pokémon as well as move as great speed so it was difficult to over take it.

"Come on Lapras," she urged.

Lapras flattened its neck and moved into an even more streamline position. Kaida stayed as low as possible and tried not to throw up. She regretted opening her mouth to speak. It had only made it worse. Why had she agreed to this? She had better win that Lugia doll because this could _not_ be for nothing. A wave caught her by surprise and she heaved, but didn't vomit. Water. Ugh. Gross. Her stomach was churning horribly.

Why, why, why did she agree to this? Nila could have easily taken her place!

Blastoise had fallen back again but Mantine had pulled ahead. Gyarados was in the clear lead now and Kaida doubted she could overtake it. Still, second place would be good… But Mantine was ahead of her and they were getting closer and closer to the shore. The shallow waters had to be slowing it down now. Yes, she slid past it. She was second! No. Blastoise! Eh?

Kaida wasn't sure the exact place she finished in when she crossed the line because Lapras skidded to a halt, sending her flying into the water with an undignified splat. Eugh. She felt gross. Sea water was horribly salty and dirty. She clung onto the side of Lapras and let it pull her back to shore. She looked up at the pier. Cyndaquil was wobbling around in the wind and Totodile was restrained in John's arms. It looked like it was trying to jump into the water. Kaida climbed back on Lapras as it swam over and nudged her and let it take her to shore. Nila and John helped pull her out of the water.

"Well done," John said. "Third place!"

"Really?" Kaida said, surprised. She patted Lapras on the head. "Good job." Then her face fell. "But… No Lugia doll."

She was devastated. Lugia. The perfect, cuddly, plushie Lugia. She had never had it… But she still missed it.

Nila rolled her eyes at Kaida's dramatics. "There are plenty of prizes to pick, idiot, and if you think the first and second place winners will pick the Lugia doll over a holiday or a gift card at the Goldenrod department store, then you're insane. Only you would pick that thing first."

Nila was right. The first and second people did pick the prizes that were worth more. Kaida seized the Lugia doll and snuggled it. It was so big! It was about the same size as her! And it was so cute! Aaw! She felt something tugging her leg and looked down at Cyndaquil. It was looking up at her pitifully.

"Don't worry, Cyndaquil!" Kaida said. "I'll never forget you."

"You should probably send that home," John said. "You can't really take it with you. I'd take it to the Poké Post Office immediately. It's going to shut soon and I want to leave soon."

Kaida was a little reluctant but she ran off anyway. As she ran the wind was picking up and several of the afternoon events had been abandoned for the next day because of the weather. She ran into the warm building, glad she had got inside with Lugia before the weather had done too much damage to the stuffed toy.

Meanwhile, still on the pier, the others were facing another problem. The winds were so strong that Cyndaquil, with its wide umbrella attached, had actually started to blow away. As it started to blow out to see it had been grabbed by Chikorita and Totodile but they had simply lifted off with it. Nila and John chased after them but lost them over the pier. On the horizon lightning flashed across the sea. The previous good weather had quickly turned into a savage storm.

"Cyndaquil," Nila called. "Light up your flame! Get that thing off!"

At first she didn't think Cyndaquil would hear her, but then its back lit up and the umbrella began to burn and they plummeted towards the sea, landing with a splash. Lapras was there an instant later, nudging them all up onto its back. It hurried to the shore, aware of the rising waves, and the startled Pokémon jumped back into the pier. At this point Kaida came running back, after successfully posting her Lugia, and saw Cyndaquil was soaking wet. When she heard the story she was not impressed. She glared at John and Nila.

"How could you let something like this happen to my Cyndaquil?" she demanded.

"Us?" John said. "You were the one with that stupid umbrella. Besides, we got them back."

"Lapras got them back," Kaida said, patting Lapras on the head. "I'm going to miss you. Even if you are a water Pokémon."

"Water not that bad, eh?" Nila said.

Kaida shuddered. "It is still horrible. And I still feel sick. But Lapras is OK."

Lapras nudged her hand and she petted it one last time. Then they stood there, in the roaring winds, watching until it disappeared amongst the waves. Finally they turned and left. Lapras was home again.


	17. Chapter 17: catch that Pineco

**17. Kisses, doubleslaps, and catch that Pineco!**

After a long night of sleep at the trainer resting rooms by the Pokémon Centre, everyone was ready to move on towards Goldenrod, except John, who wanted to try out his new Pineco even though the weather was not favourable. It was continuing to pour with heavy rain much to Kaida's dismay. After the umbrella incident the previous day at the seaside town, Cyndaquil was defenceless against the rain and, as Kaida hated putting it in its pokeball, she guessed it would have to snuggle into her jacket again or curl up in her bag.

She sat on her bed, waiting for Nila to get out of the shower, as she was meant to be training her Chikorita against Pineco. It seemed pointless to go out in the rain with out her. Cyndaquil and Gastly were playing on the floor with the contents of Kaida's bag as she had failed to convince Cyndaquil that sitting on spare Pokéballs, potions and antidotes was the way to travel. Kaida was snapped out of her usual daze of defeating gym leaders by a beeping sound. She looked down at her Pokémon, confused, but quickly realised what they had done. Cyndaquil was quite happily pushing the buttons on her phone, amused by the noise it was making.

"No, sweetie, that's not a toy."

She reached down and slid the phone away from the happy creature. It looked sadly up at her as she inspected the damage. Cyndaquil had only managed to get to the contact list thankfully. Kaida bit her lip as she saw what name it had got to.

"Should I call him?" she asked aloud.

Gastly floated over and licked her nervous face.

"Thanks for that, but it wasn't really the answer that I was looking for."

Kaida smiled as the gas ball Pokémon went back to rummaging through her bag, probably for more Pokémon food. Gastly always seemed to be hungry.

"What do you think?" she asked Cyndaquil, as it managed to finish climbing up onto her bed.

"Cynda, Cyndaquil," it chirped happily, bouncing over to her

"Is Kaida missing her Matty?" Flo's voice drifted through the room.

"Oh, Lugia," Kaida muttered, as the door started to creak open.

Gastly gave her a large grin before disappearing. Kaida looked around in puzzlement as Flo entered the room, pulling Rina in with her.

"You should call him," Flo stated.

She jumped onto the bed next to Kaida, causing the mattress to bounce. Cyndaquil was thrown up as well. As it landed tt looked deeply confused as to why it had been sent flying and eyed the bed warily.

"And say what?" Kaida whispered, still staring down at his name.

"Well, hello is a good start," Nila said dryly, as she came out of the bathroom with her dark hair still dripping wet. She threw her used towel at Chikorita, who had been snoozing on her bed. It looked very disgruntled at its sudden wake up call.

"Who's Matty?" Rina asked, still standing in the door way looking confused.

"Kaida's boyfriend," Flo sang, earning her an elbow in the ribs and a death glare from Kaida.

"Boyfriend?" Rina asked, still looking confused.

"Yeah, a boy who you like more then a friend," Flo explained, wondering why she was explaining this to a girl that was only a few months younger then her. Rina still looked deeply confused. "She wants to kiss him," Flo said slowly. "You know what that is, right?"

"I've seen it in my Manga," Rina pondered, "but that was two boys, and Kaida isn't a boy."

"Oh, great Granbull, are you completely dense?" Nila groaned. The amount of stupidity was killing her brain. She could feel her IQ points dropping by the second.

"That's yaoi, moron," Kaida snapped. "Matt is straight. I am straight. All right?"

"Oh," Rina said, trying to understand. "I still don't understand why you would want to kiss someone. It looks icky to me."

"You will understand when you are older," Flo told her wisely. "Even if it kills me," she muttered to Kaida, who just chuckled in return, putting her phone back in the pocket of her jeans and moving to pick up her bag.

"Eww. I'll never kiss anyone." Rina made a disgusted face.

In a split second Gastly appeared in front of her. Rina screamed in shock as Gastly gave her one large lick to the face.

"Ah, ghost!"

Rina ran from the room, screaming as the three other girls rolled around the room laughing, praising Gastly a job well done. The look on her face had been pricless.

After their laughing fit, the three girls walked down to the entrance. Flo was still trying to convince Kaida to call Matt and ask him if he could think of another way to keep Cyndaquil dry. Kaida only replied that she would think about it, holding Cyndaquil in her jacket and watching Gastly swoop towards Rina and John at the bottom of the stairs. Rina quickly slid stepped behind John, who was unaware of Rina's fear of the ghost Pokémon and greeted Gastly as normal.

"Finally." He sighed. "Now can we please go train Pineco?"

"But it is raining." Kaida pouted

"Hence why I have this for you."

John pulled out a huge black umbrella that he had hidden behind his back.

"Now you have no excuse," he said cheerfully.

Kaida glared but took the umbrella and she followed Nila and Flo outside, Rina was still trying to hide behind John from Gastly, who was grinning at Kaida, obviously enjoying Rina's fear.

They left the town, sloshing through mud and puddles to get to the suitable spot. Kaida was glad that she had brought along her wellies because otherwise her jeans would have been coated in mud up to her knees. When they reached the flat, grassy area, Kadia settled herself on a plastic bench that John had pulled out for them. it appeared as though he anticipated the battle to last for a while. Flo scrunched up next to her ,trying to keep her egg dry as she gave it a quick polish. Nila and John also had umbrellas and were standing either end of the large open space. Chikorita didn't look impressed by the idea of fighting in the rain – it far preferred sunny weather – but Nila just nudged Chikorita with her foot out of the dry spot and out onto the damp grass. Rina, unlike the rest of them, was standing in the rain, smiling as she watched the drops fall onto her skin.

"What is she doing?" Flo raised an eyebrow as Rina started to spin in circles slowly giggling as she went.

"She's dancing in the rain." Kaida sighed, rolling her eyes at the sight in front of her. She could see Nila doing the same even with the far distance between them.

"What a weirdo," Flo concluded, going back to polishing her egg.

"Indeed," Kaida said, turning to watch the battle. Chikorita was already standing in the centre, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"Here we go." John threw his pokeball. "Go, Pineco!"

The creature appeared in flash of red light.

"Now, let's get down to business." John rubbed his hands together. Then he frowned. "Pineco! When I said go, I didn't mean run away!" John shrieked, as the Pokémon bounced off into the bushes.

"Oh dear." Flo gave John a look of pity as he fought his way through the thick bushes to get Pineco.

Nila sighed, irritated. She started to tap her foot in impatience. She wanted to get this battle over and done with. John had rushed her shower to make her come out here and now they weren't even fighting.

"You are going to get a cold!" Kaida shouted to Rina, tone infused with boredom, as the girl continued to dance in the rain.

Cyndaquil was watching her too with confusion on its face. It didn't seem to understand why anyone would want to be out in the rain. Rina didn't care: she was too happy dancing in the rain. It made her feel free and one with nature. She couldn't wait for either of her Slowpoke to learn rain dance so that she could dance in the rain whenever she liked. A chuckle interrupted her thoughts. A large, round, pink ball-like Pokémon was walking towards her giggling. It seemed to find her dancing quite ridiculous.

"Oh. My. Slowpoke. You're fat," Rina said bluntly, causing Flo, Kaida and Nila to look at her.

"Did she just insult a Jigglypuff?" Flo asked.

"Most definitely." Kaida nodded

"Even I'm not that bad," Flo said, giggling.

"You have your moments," Nila muttered, sitting down next to Kaida.

Luckily the umbrella was so big it covered entire bench so there was no war about who was going to have most. A war would have been unfortunate because it would have meant they would have missed the comical scene that was unravelling before them. Because, as they had been speaking, the Jigglypuff had swollen up in indignation. Rina just laughed.

"Now you are even fatter!" She bent down and poked the creature.

"She's so dead." Flo chuckled

"Shush," Nila said, not taking her eyes off the scene for one second. "This is going to be the best part."

The three girls leaned forward so that they had the best view possible. Jigglypuff had launched itself into the air and started to furiously slap her.

"Ooh. Doubleslap. Nice choice," Nila commented.

Unfortunately John took that moment to come rushing through.

"It jumped over some holly bushes and I can't follow it that way," he shouted, throwing his huge bag back on. "Come on," he urged. "We have to go catch it!"

He grabbed Rina as he ran past ignoring the angry Jigglypuff that glared hatefully after them. It started to march determinedly, following in hot pursuit.

"But we already caught it," Kaida moaned. "I have the bump on my head to prove it."

"That was the Farfetch'd," John called back. "Hurry up!"

"That wasn't from Farfetch'd!" Kaida yelled after him. "I hit my head on the tree for that stupid Pineco and then you crushed the rest of me afterwards! Idiot boy!"

"Come on, grumpy," Nila said.

"Look who is talking," Kaida replied.

Nila pulled Kaida up and dragged her after John. Flo followed behind, stuffing her egg back into her bag. The trek through the short crop of woods was not pleasant. Flo had managed to fall over many rocks and even her own feet at one point. Kaida even had to help her out of a river that she had slipped in. At the same time, Kaida had to try to get Nila to stop moaning about how muddy her clothes had become. Numerous times Nila had tried to get her cleaning kit out of her bag but Kaida had glared at her. Eventually the three had caught up to John and a very bewildered Rina, who too looked as though she had landed in the river a few times.

"Where did it go?" Flo questioned.

"It went up this tree." John groaned. "Wait here I'll go get it" They watched as he pulled himself up the wet branches until he was out of sight.

"What do we do if he falls and dies?" Rina asked. There was no worry in her voice, only plain curiosity.

"Always thinking positively, aren't you?" Flo patted her on the back.

"Oh, good Graveler," John's voice echoed down. "It jumped."

As they heard this they saw the creature fall. It bounced off Kaida's umbrella and onto Rina's head. Fed up at this point, Kaida flatten her umbrella in a flash and, with a great swing, she hit Pineco so that it went flying into a tree. It hit it with a loud smack and then fell to the floor and lay unconscious. Rina was also on the floor, clutching her head, as though Pineco had knocked it clean off.

"We got it, John," Kaida called up, watching Flo as she went to scoop up the dazed Pineco.

"That's good. Now, uh, can you get me out of this tree?" John called down nervously.

-

It became very clear, as they continued on their journey, that they had acquired a stalker. Every now and then, out of the corner of their eyes, they would spot a pink blob poking its wide blue eyes from behind a bush. Nila resisted the urge to snigger. Jigglypuff wanted revenge.

Kaida and John had noticed the Jigglypuff too and had come to the same conclusion. This led to them exchanging significant glances and occasionally snickering to themselves. Flo was too consumed with her precious egg to notice much else but where she was going – and sometimes not even that – and Rina was as oblivious as she usually was, dancing along through the rain happily. When they stopped for lunch, as the rain halted briefly, she didn't even see the fuming Jigglypuff cracking its knuckles at her. It was itching to use Pound or another Doubleslap on her. They were extremely proud Pokémon and did not appreciate their weight being commented on.

"Tomato?" John offered Nila.

Nila shuddered in disgust. As well as being a clean freak, Nila was a ridiculously picky eater and found random food – like with the marshmallow incident – completely revolting. Tomatoes were one of these foods.

"I don't like them either," Flo said, picking them out of her sandwich.

"Then why didn't you say so before?" John said slowly, as if speaking to a small child or an incredibly stupid person. "I wouldn't have put tomato in your sandwich."

"I dunno." Flo shrugged.

"Give them to me," Kaida said.

Flo passed some of the tomato over to Kaida, leaning over Nila.

"Get it away from me!" Nila snapped.

"Stop being a baby," Flo said, passing some more over.

Then, suddenly, a piece dropped onto Nila's lap. Kaida gulped. Nila freaked out. She threw the tomato piece in Flo's hair, slapped Flo _hard_ on the arm, and proceeded to dump her drink of water over the girl's head. Frantically she used her cleaning wipes to decontaminate her jeans.

"Oow!" Flo cried, her arm smarting from the smack. "I stayed out of the rain and then you get water all over me! I'm going to freeze!"

"Serves you right," Nila said crossly.

She peered closely at her trousers and seemed to decide that no traces of the food remained. She then threw the dirty wipes at Flo. They hit her square in the face and flopped onto her sandwich.

"Eew, those are covered in chemicals and they just went on my food," Flo complained.

"Then you shouldn't have got tomato on me," Nila responded.

She went and sat by herself, far away from any evil tomatoes.

"Sooo, Jigglypuff is stalking us," John said conversationally.

"Huh?" Rina said. "What Jigglypuff?"

"The one you called fat," Kaida reminded her.

Rina still looked puzzled.

"Oh for Lugia's sake, woman," Kaida grumbled.

Jigglypuff seemed to realise that it had been found out. Ah well. It could always sing. Then it could get its revenge while they were asleep. It thought about smearing tomato all over their faces… It opened its mouth but then... A Hoppip? Such strange powder was flowing from it… Jigglypuff sneezed. Then, horribly, it found that it couldn't move at all. Stun Spore! It was paralysed! Stupid, horrible Hoppip. It had deprived Jigglypuff of its revenge.

Hoppip moved back into the camp, doing another Splash victory dance. Flo groaned at the sight of it.

"What are you doing out?" she demanded. "I swear I didn't release you?"

She looked at Rina who was playing with a pile of Pokéballs. Wooper and Weepinbell were also roaming around.

"How did you get hold of those?" Flo yelped. She gathered them up quickly and returned them to their Pokéballs.

"You still need to feed them," Kaida said, rolling her eyes.

She had her two Pokémon out and was feeding them their favourite Pokéchow. John, Nila, and even Rina, had followed in suit.

"Oh," Flo said, chuckling nervously. "I knew that."

She let them out again and rummaged in her bag for their food. She was a good Pokémon trainer. Really!

"I've only just realised," Kaida said suddenly.

"Yeah," Nila said, catching on. "I see it too."

"See what?" Flo asked.

"Rina looks sort of like a Jigglypuff," Kaida said triumphantly.

Rina looked up, confused. "What?!"

"Wide, round, blue eyes," Nila said.

"Chubby pink cheeks," Kaida added.

"I do not have chubby pink cheeks!" Rina shrieked.

This was the first time that Rina had properly raised her voice and they all winced. She was incredibly high pitched. Her hands bunched into fists, her shoulders hunched, her head lowered and hair fell across her face. Still, the veil of hair could not disguise that her face had puffed out just like…

"Jigglypuff!" Flo exclaimed. "Yeah, I see it!"

Rina booted Flo in the leg. Flo clutched her shin and hopped around in pain.

"I do not," Rina continued, in the horribly high pitched voice, "look like Jigglypuff!"

"Make it stop!" John said. "It's so shrill it could break glass! It is one hundred times worse than Flo!"

"Hey!" Flo said, her voice growing high pitched too.

"Double the pain!" John cried, his hands over his ears. "Make them stop!"

Both Rina and Flo glared. Kaida and Nila couldn't help it. When Rina glared she looked exactly like the Jigglypuff she had enraged by calling it fat. Jigglypuff had to be her alter ego. It was too funny. Kaida rolled around in the floor in hysterics. Even Nila had fallen off the log she was sitting on because she was laughing so hard.

Flo coughed, calming down. "OK. Maybe I can be a little high pitched."

"A little!" John scoffed.

"I do _not _look like Jigglypuff!" Rina was still complaining. She went and kicked both Kaida and Nila in the shins but they were laughing too much to care. Eventually she went to sulk on the other side of their temporary camp. However, in a matter of minutes she had forgotten her anger, and the whole affair with Jigglypuff, and she was chasing after butterflies that had emerged to take advantage of the calmer weather.


	18. Chapter 18: day care denials

**18. Day Care denial and other strange happenings.**

A day or so on and the rain had finally lessened to spells of drizzle in the aftermath of the sudden storm. They plodded along towards Goldenrod, all carefully avoiding Rina who was splashing in every puddle she went by. Flo's Wooper was happily joining her, following her every move. It particularly liked the muddy puddles and was soon covered from head to toe in dirt. Flo grimaced as she thought of having to clean it up when they stopped for lunch. She wasn't the only one who was annoyed. When Rina jumped too close to Nila for the third time, Nila grabbed the younger girl's ear and twisted.

"Do it again and you'll regret it."

"Ow!" Rina said. "Stop it!"

Nila let Rina go and the girl immediately ran to the other side of John and started splashing in the puddles over there. John swore colourfully as some specks of mud landed on his guidebook. He snapped it shut and used it to wallop Rina over the head.

"You people are _mean_," she said.

She looked over to Kaida hopefully. Kaida narrowed her eyes.

"Don't even think about it!"

Rina pouted. It didn't take her long to recover. Soon she was dancing about in the rain again. John carefully cleaned the specks of mud from his guidebook with the sleeve of his jacket and then he put it carefully in his bag. He did not look impressed.

As they were nearing lunch time, and Goldenrod City, they ran into what looked like a farm house. There were fairly high fences around it and, behind those, there were Pokémon _everywhere_. Flo read the sign with some curiosity.

"Pokémon Day Care," she said. "Ooh, a Day Care Centre."

They watched for a moment. Behind the fence they could see Pokémon playing. There were two Meowth on the slide, a Staryu spinning in a paddling pool, a line of Oddish marching in formation towards the sand pit. Flo squealed. They all looked so cute.

"Hello?"

They looked up to see a slim boy with sandy hair. He was about the same age as them.

"Hi," Flo said. "Isn't this Day Care _amazing_?"

The boy smiled happily at her. "Uh, thanks. It belongs to my grandparents."

Flo's eyes widened. "Seriously? Do you help out here? Do you get to play with all the cute Pokémon? Wow. That's so cool? What's your name?"

The boy looked a little overwhelmed at her rapid questioning but soon recovered.

"I'm Danny," he said. "Nice to meet you. And, yeah, I do normally help out here."

Flo sighed dreamily. "I love cute Pokémon like these. Can I see them?"

"Sure, why not? Um. What's _your _name?"

"Flo," Flo said eagerly, pumping his hand furiously. "Thank you so much!"

She ran back to the fence and continued to peer inside. Wooper hopped up beside her. It tried to wriggle in between the gaps to get inside to the play toys but its head got stuck in the bars. Danny carefully extracted it.

"We have to make it really small so none of the Pokémon run away," he said.

He opened the side fence door with a key hanging from his belt and let them in. Once inside, he let Wooper down on the ground. It ran towards the paddling pool and jumped in, disrupting the spinning Staryu. The other Pokémon crashed into the side of the paddling pool, making a fair amount of the water slop out onto the ground onto a Weedle that was passing by. A lot of the other Pokémon glared at Wooper, but it splashed away unconcernedly, ignoring the fact that the mud all over its body was now making the water dirty.

The others introduced themselves to Danny. He was more than happy to give them a tour of the Day Care Centre while the Pokémon ran off to play. Apparently it was a place that many trainers left their Pokémon to grow when they couldn't keep them on them.

"You have to pay, of course," Danny told them, "but it is quite cheap. My grandparents only need the money to keep the place going. They just really enjoy looking after Pokémon. They say that it keeps them young."

Flo was completely enamoured with the Day Care Centre. She gushed about the cuteness of a lot of the Pokémon. Mostly she liked to look at the baby Pokémon. That was when she decided to show Danny the egg she had received from Mr Pokémon.

"This egg is nearly ready to hatch," he said.

"Seriously?" Flo said excitedly.

"Anytime now," Danny confirmed. "I've seen enough eggs hatch to tell by now."

"You have eggs here too?" Flo looked like she might explode with happiness. "Lots of cute little baby Pokémon eggs? That is so cool."

Rina looked bored. "I don't get it," she said. "They look normal."

Flo glared at her. "You wouldn't understand."

"I know," Rina said slowly. "That's why I said that I didn't get it."

Nila, Kaida, and John all sniggered at the rage on Flo's face. They directed Rina in the direction of the swings and watched her squabble with Bulbasaur over whose turn it was next.

"And that Pokémon is adorable," Flo said, pointing at a cat Pokémon.

"That's Skitty," Danny explained. "It comes from Hoenn. You don't really get it anywhere else."

"I want one," Flo said. "One day I have to go to Hoenn and get one."

The Skitty in question was spinning in circles, chasing its own tail. It looked like it was growing increasingly frustrated as it moved faster and faster but its goal did not get any closer. Eventually it stopped, tripped, and fell over. It had become completely dizzy. The others raised their eyebrows at its stupidity. Flo still thought it was amazingly sweet.

"Would you like to help me feed the Pokémon?" Danny asked politely.

"Yes, please!" Flo replied eagerly.

"Um, if the rest of you go into the kitchen. You could get yourself some drinks or something," Danny said. "Have anything you like. My grandmother made some lemonade. You should try it."

"Thanks," John said.

They all had some cold lemonade, which was lovely despite the mild weather. A while later Danny and Flo joined them. Flo was flushed with happiness, laughing at Danny's jokes, and Danny poured them all some more lemonade immediately.

"It's OK to drink it all," he said. "She makes it all the time. There is normally too much."

"Where are your grandparents?" John asked as Danny reached around him to grab a tin of biscuits.

"Out for the day," Danny said. "They drove into Goldenrod to have a nice day shopping and then they're going to a show and a dinner. It's their anniversary. Cookie, anyone?"

"Cookie?!" Rina squealed.

Rina's eyes popped open and scrambled for the jar. Flo, was standing next to Danny, got an elbow to the stomach as Rina pounced on the tin and started to devour the treats. Flo grabbed her stomach and recoiled, grumbling furiously. Danny relinquished the tin, to his credit only looking a little alarmed at Rina's wild behaviour, and patted Flo on the back, making sure she was all right.

Suddenly there was a loud noise outside. Danny ran to the window and his face paled.

"Not again!" he cried.

"What is it?" John asked, joining him. "Is that…?"

"Team Rocket," Danny said miserably. "This lot have been skulking around here a while and we normally fend them off. But now they've brought reinforcements. Somebody call the police."

"I'll do it!" Flo said quickly. She looked around for the telephone. When she couldn't find it she put her hands on her head and wailed. "I don't know where it is!" she cried.

Kaida sighed and grabbed Flo's own phone from her pocket. "Use yours, idiot."

"Oh, yeah," Flo said sheepishly.

Danny raced outside and the others followed him while Flo made the call. This was with the exception of Rina, of course, who was still, obliviously, polishing off the cookies.

At the sound of Team Rocket breaking down the fence, the Day Care Pokémon had run, in panic, towards the house. Danny immediately ordered them into the barn and then grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. He enlarged it and said, "Go, Eevee."

A small, cute Eevee formed. Despite its looks, it seemed alert and ready for action.

"Eevee, use Charm," Danny ordered.

Eevee preened cutely. Team Rocket scoffed. They didn't seem to value the effects of the attack.

"Give it up, little boy," the tall man with the black knit cap sneered. "Your grandparents aren't here to beat us off."

"Good job they aren't," Danny said crossly. "They'd thrash you."

The tall man sent forward a Raticate. The red haired woman by his side sent out a Doduo. The Rockets behind them cracked their knuckles.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Danny asked. "These are Day Care Pokémon. They won't be amazingly strong. We're training them!"

"You have some rare Pokémon, boy," the red haired woman said, "and our leader needs them."

"Now, Raticate, use Hyper Fang," the Rocket ordered.

"Sand Attack, Eevee."

Eevee instantly sprayed up dirt from the ground that hit the Raticate in the eyes.

"Doduo, Fury Attack!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" John called. "Totodile, use Bite!"

Totodile leapt forward and happily performed its new favourite move, clamping down hard on the bird Pokémon. The Rockets behind the other two also sent out Pokémon to fight. Kaida and Nila moved forward to combat them with Cyndaquil and Chikorita, but there were more Rockets behind them as well.

"Looks like all our Pokémon are going to have to help," Nila said. "Go, Sandshrew. Use Night Slash!"

"Flo!" Kaida called, after she sent out Gastly and instructed it to try and send to sleep all of the enemy Pokémon that it could. "We could do with a little help here!"

"Um," Flo yelled. "I have a problem! The egg is hatching! The egg is hatching!"

"Leave it," John said.

"You can't leave an egg!" Flo screeched.

"Let Rina look after it," Kaida said. Then she realised what she had just suggested. "You know what, never mind, you just stay in there."

"OK!" Flo shouted. "The police are coming though!" Then they heard her say, more quietly, to Rina, "You know, you could help out!"

"Huh?" Rina said. Her voice was muffled a mouthful of cookies

Despite Flo not being outside, Wooper decided to help out anyway, blasting back an Ekans with Water Gun when it and its trainer tried to sneak around the side towards the barn full of Pokémon. The front garden of the Day Care Centre had turned into chaos. There were Razor Leaf and Flame Wheel attacks mingling to send back Team Rocket Pokémon. Water Gun attacks were flying everywhere. Nila's Sandshrew was clashing claws with another Sandshrew. Gastly was now dodging electric attacks from a Rocket Magnemite. Totodile was running crazily and Hoothoot was pecking furiously at bother Rocket people and Pokémon.

Then the sirens sounded as the police arrived. Team Rocket returned their Pokémon and ran and half of the police went off in hot pursuit.

"Thanks, guys," Danny said, collecting his tired Eevee. "I really appreciate the help."

A female police officer with blue hair led Danny off to talk to him about the attack. They overheard them muttering about this happening quite frequently. Clearly something had to be done. They already had hired a night guard but it didn't help much when Team Rocket tried to steal Pokémon during the day.

"Wow!" came a voice from the kitchen.

They walked back inside to see the egg has fine cracks spreading all over it. At any second the egg would be revealed. Flo was bending over it easily, her faces only inches away, and Rina was in a chair on the other side of the room, the tin in her hand and her mouth lined with cookie crumbs. She patted her stomach.

"I'm full."

"Well stop eating," Kaida said.

"All gone anyway," Rina said, putting the tin down.

"I swear that tin was full when it opened it," Flo said, temporarily distracted from her egg. Then a bit fell off and her eyes snapped back. She put her hands either side of the shell and waited impatiently. The egg cracked further open and then…

It was a Togepi.

"It's so cute!" Flo squealed.

Togepi cried out, spreading his little arms wide.

"Well that's boring," Kaida said disappointedly. "I was hoping for something hideous."

Nila got a funny look on her face. "What are you talking about? It _is _hideous."

"It looks like breakfast," John said, thinking about fired eggs and scrambled eggs and poached eggs…

"Breakfast?" Flo said indignantly. She scooped Togepi up into her arms. "You stay away from my cutey-pie Togepi." She snuggled up to Togepi, pressing her face against its cheek.

"I feel physically sick," Nila said, her tone disgusted.

At this point Danny walked back into the kitchen.

"Nice," he said. "That's impressive. I hope you're ready to take care of Togepi."

"It's so cute," Flo said. "I'll do anything for it."

Danny smiled gently. "There is more than it than cuteness though. Baby Pokémon are quite demanding to look after. Hand on."

He went out into the hallway and came back holding a large pamphlet.

"Here, have this. It has lots of tips about looking after baby Pokémon. You should take a look. It's very useful."

"Thanks," Flo said, accepting the booklet. She cooed at her Togepi. "I'm gonna take the best care of you _ever_."

Nila mimed gagging into the sink.

"Thanks for helping me out," Danny said. "I really wish there was something I could do in return."

"No problem," John said. "Team Rocket deserved to be crushed. You should have seen what they were doing to Slowpoke. It was disgusting."

Danny nodded seriously. "Yeah. I've heard of some of what they get up to." Then his face brightened. "I have an idea. You three, come with me."

"Hang on," Flo said, as they left the kitchen and went back outside. "Wait for me!"

She trailed behind them as Danny led them to the barn. Once in there they went into a smaller room where there were plenty of eggs and some small pens that houses littler Pokémon.

"These ones are a bit troublesome and young," Danny said. "We bred them ourselves."

He led them to the far pen were there were two Eevee snuggling up to each other.

"Here," he said. He frowned. "There are only two but… We were going to give them away…"

"You mean we can have them?" Kaida said, surprised.

Danny nodded.

"Cool!" Kaida said.

She reached in and grabbed one of the Eevee and snuggled it. Then, using her other hand, she grabbed the other one and gave it to Nila. She then looked at John.

"Um…"

Danny looked awkward. His eyes flickered over to John. "Yeah, there are only two. Sorry."

"It's fine," John said. "Eevee isn't my type of Pokémon."

"Yeah, you like weird Pokémon," Kaida agreed. "But I've always wanted a Flareon and she's obsessed with Umbreon."

"Thanks," Nila said to Danny.

"No problem," Danny said. "Yours is the brother of my Eevee and yours–" he looked to Kaida "– is the sister."

"They're so adorable. Thanks so much!"

Danny smiled and reached out to get the Pokéballs for both the Eevee. He handed them to their new trainers. Then he said, "No problem. I can tell you are good trainers. Grandma and Grandpa won't mind at all."

They walked back out of the barn. Flo looked a little jealous at the fact that Danny had given Nila and Kaida new Pokémon but she didn't say anything. They went back to the farmhouse and Danny returned to speak to the police who had recently returned from chasing Team Rocket. Apparently they had lost them.

"We should probably go to Goldenrod," John said.

"Are you sure?" Danny said disappointedly. "My grandparents won't be back until tomorrow evening. You could stay the night."

John looked uncertain.

"OK," Flo said quickly.

"Great!" Danny said, smiling again. "I'd be glad to have company. Especially if Team Rocket come back. Does anyone want to help me put the Pokémon away?"

In the end John, Nila, and Kaida decided to help. Flo had wanted to but Danny had insisted she sit down and look after her Togepi. Then John had warned Danny about Rina's erratic behaviour and Danny had given her another bag of cookies to occupy her. Surprisingly it was quite fun to get the Pokémon inside and into their beds and they had got a lot of practice chasing down Pokémon – Farfetch'd, Pineco, Gastly, and Mareep sprang into some of their minds – so it was quite easy to catch the difficult ones.

Danny and John decided to cook dinner together and the girls sat in the living room in front of the television. Flo started to gush about how great Danny was about how awesome she found the Day Care. Kaida started to laugh.

"Haha," she said.

"What?" Flo said.

"You have a crush on Danny," Kaida taunted.

Flo flushed awkwardly.

Nila snickered. She then exchanged a significant look with Kaida.

"What?" Flo demanded.

"It's just…" Kaida trailed off.

"He's gay," Nila said bluntly.

"No he's not!" Flo protested, her voice high pitched and squeaky.

"Yes," Kaida insisted. "Yes, he really is."

"You're just saying this because you don't want to admit Matt is!" Flo accused.

Nila frowned. "Matt isn't gay."

"Neither is Danny!"

"Yes," Kaida and Nila said in unison. "He is."

"But… How…? Why…? Prove it!"

"You were so obvious that you fancied him," Kaida said. "So what does he say? No, no, sit down here Flo with Togepi."

"He was being considerate!"

"No," Nila said. "He was _uncomfortable_."

Kaida nodded in agreement.

"If he likes anyone he likes John." Kaida mimicked his voice quite poorly, "John, come to the barn, John, I'm so sorry there isn't a Pokémon for you, John, why don't you help me cook?"

"Is _John _gay?" Flo said slowly in wonderment.

"No!" Kaida and Nila said, exasperated.

"I was just proving a point," Kaida continued. "You are so dense."

"Gay?" Rina said. "Why doesn't Flo want him to be happy?"

They all groaned.

"You know the talk we had," Kaida said. "We've mentioned it before. Gay is homosexual. You know, two boys kissing or two girls kissing."

"Oh," Rina said, trying to cast her mind back to the conversation. She didn't seem to be able to remember much of it. She soon was back to reading her Manga. They all rolled their eyes and left her to it.

Dinner was delicious. Kaida and Nila watched in amusement as, across the dining table, Flo attempted to cast furtive looks at Danny. She wasn't very discreet. He shifted even more uncomfortably but didn't say anything. He seemed to be too nice to point it out.

"You should make us some brownies tomorrow," Rina said to Kaida.

"Make your own brownies," Kaida replied.

"Hmm," Rina said thoughtfully. "Maybe I could. What do you use to make brownies?"

Envisioning Rina blowing up the stove of their host's house, Kaida quickly agreed to make the brownies if it was all right with Danny and they had enough ingredients. Danny agreed, hoping to try the brownies that the others praised so highly, and went to check they had all the necessary ingredients.

"Thanks for letting us stay here," John said.

"Yeah, houses are much better than camping," Nila said.

They put their sleeping bags down in the living room and watched a few late night films. Kaida and Nila stroked their new Eevee happily and Danny's own Eevee joined them. They started to talk about evolutions of Eevee.

"Well, obviously I want Flareon," Kaida said, "but Fire Stones are hard to find."

"We sometimes get Pokémon holding them come to the Day Care or they even just find them around here somehow," Danny said. "If the owners don't want them then we keep them. If we even get any spare then I could give you a call."

"Thanks," Kaida said, smiling happily at the thought of the gorgeous fire Pokémon.

After the films, at a rather late hour, Danny retreated upstairs to bed. The other curled in their sleeping bags and drifted off minutes later. It seemed like seconds – not hours – that they were again woken and had to crawl out of bed, shower, and eat breakfast in the spacious kitchen.

Since it was too early in the morning for Nila to talk, Danny was a little confused when she remained silent after he questioned what she wanted to breakfast. Since she had been awoken by the loud noise of Pokémon being fed breakfast courtesy of Danny's early morning routine, she had shoved all of the others out of the way to claim the first shower and was down to breakfast first. She nursed her pounding head with a large glass of milk and slowly but surely started to feel a little more sociable and aware of the world around her. When Kaida came downstairs she had to explain to the bewildered boy not to bother speaking to her until she had finished her morning milk. It might irritate her and to irritate her usually meant bodily harm.

John and Rina came to breakfast without showering because Flo had been in there for ages and they were tired of waiting. They were all a little confused to why she was taking so long in the bathroom but soon received the answer when she walked into the kitchen. Kaida and Nila snorted into their toast.

Flo was wearing _make-up. _Actually, she was more than wearing make-up. She had piled it on so thick they weren't sure they could see any part of her face at all. She was wearing bright red lipstick, bright blue eye shadow, and so much foundation that her face had turned orange. Her mascara was applied so heavily that it glooped together in strange clumps and the eyeliner wobbled quite precariously around her eyes.

Despite this, John was confused.

"Is there something different about you?" he asked, looking her up and down. "You don't seem right. Have you worn that t-shirt before?"

"Um, yes," Flo said.

"Peculiar," John said. "Well, I need to shower. Be right back."

He left the kitchen. Everyone else stared at Flo apart from Danny, who had averted his eyes and was looking at a scratch on the large wooden kitchen table.

"Flo is _orange_," Rina whispered loudly.

Flo glared at her.

"Um," Kaida said, trying not to laugh. "It's a bit, well…"

"You look ridiculous," Nila said bluntly. "Go wash it off."

Flo grabbed the shiny kettle and peered into it so she could see her reflection. Then she glared even more furiously and stomped back out of the room to the toilet downstairs. They heard the sink turn on.

"Um," Danny said awkwardly. "Eggs, anyone?"

"Scrambled?" Nila said. "Great."

Kaida burst out laughing. And she thought she embarrassed herself in front of Matt. No, it was perfectly fine. She was _nothing_ compared to Flo. All was good in the world after all.

Kaida started on the brownies when Rina went upstairs to take the last shower. When Flo returned to the room her face was slightly red and raw from scrubbing her make-up off so vigorously. Some patches of blue still remained around her eyes. It made her look like she was a blotchy alien but Kaida decided not to say anything. She settled for laughing quietly as the others played scrabble.

"That's not a word, Rina," Nila said.

"Yes, it is," Rina insisted.

"No, it isn't!" John said.

Kaida looked at the board as she grabbed some more chocolate to put in the mixing bowl. Rina's words had mostly consisted of three letters before. She had used hat, mat, and cap. She had even used poo and Nila had almost exploded in disgust and annoyance and said she was ruining the game. Now she had taken it a step further. She had spelt out "wuv."

"Wuv is a real word," she said.

"No," Nila and John said. "It isn't."

"Yes it is!"

"Just give it to her," Danny said.

It wasn't as if she was anywhere close to winning. Nila and John both looked mutinous at the idea that she would get away with using a fake word but they both stopped arguing when Danny gave them a pleading look. He was too nice. It was difficult to say no to him.

"OK," Kaida said, as she pushed the second tray into the oven. "Now we just need to get them out and cut them up a little later."

"Great," Danny said, standing up. "How about you take my place and I'll clean up. You did all the hard work and it is my house."

"I'll help you!" Flo said, leaping up.

"OK, thanks," Danny said, smiling nicely.

Flo shot Kaida and Nila a look that read very clearly: "See! He likes me!" Nila and Kaida both sighed and rolled their eyes. Denial could take over even the strongest of people. And, since Flo wasn't the strongest of people, it had taken her over quite badly.

"Sinuous," John said, placing the letters on the board.

"What does _that _mean?" Rina asked.

It was Nila's go. She spelt out, "Depone."

"You say wuv isn't a real word but depone is?!" Rina exclaimed. "What does that even mean?! Pone you?"

"It means to testify under oath," Nila said, "and wuv is _not _a real world."

They looked like they would start a fight but Danny, from over by the sink, said calmingly, "_Guys_. Come on. Play nicely."

"Don't patronise me," Nila grumbled. But she stopped arguing.

"Yeuk!" Kaida said triumphantly, placing down her word.

John and Nila both looked impressed.

"Eh?!" Rina said.

"Yeah, I've played this with Miss Wordsmith over there too many times now," Kaida said. "I've learnt a few tricks!"

Eventually the brownies were ready and Kaida gave a fair proportion of them to Danny. They were for him and his grandparents. After all, she had used his ingredients and his kitchen and he had let them stay at his house for the night. Plus, he had given her and Nila the two Eevee. They sat down to eat some of the brownies before they headed off and she snuggled her new Pokémon happily.

"Eevee. So cute."

Something tugged her leg insistently. She looked down to see Cyndaquil and scooped it up as well.

"Aw," she said. "You're cute too!"

Cyndaquil looked slightly appeased but it was still looking a little jealous.

"You should know that those two Eevee have been bred with special moves," Danny said. "Mine knows Charm and Covet." He looked at Kaida. "I think yours knows Yawn and Charm and yours–" he looked at Nila's Eevee "– knows Endure and Wish."

"No wonder mine is so cute," Kaida said, thinking of the move Charm.

"Yeah, we were doing it especially for a couple of Pokémon trainers who wanted to get all the egg moves that they could," Danny said, "and they left as some as a gift." He smiled. "Let me tell you, it took some time to get those Pokémon with the right moves."

"Wow, breeding is amazing," Flo said, resting her hand next to him on the kitchen counter, completely star struck.

Danny coughed and moved away. "Anyway, it is a shame you're going so early…"

"We want to reach Goldenrod by tomorrow," John said. "We still have a fair walk."

"Well, remember to give me a call," Danny said. "You all have my number. I'll call you if I hear anything useful or get a spare Fire Stone or something."

"Thanks," Kaida said again. She petted the head of her Eevee. It would make a beautiful Flareon. She felt Cyndaquil nose her hand and she petted it as well.

With the rest of the brownies weighing down Kaida's bag, they all hugged Danny goodbye and left his house. Flo clung on for an extra long time and promised that she would come back to visit.

"Um, I look forward to it," Danny said. He brightened up swiftly. "Bring back Togepi and I'll see how you've been raising it."

"I've already read your pamphlet," Flo said. "It'll be perfect!"

They walked down the path and, as soon as they were out of eyeshot, Nila and Kaida burst out laughing. Flo seethed.

"You're so obvious," Kaida said, clutching her sides.

"And he," said Nila," is so gay."

"No he's not! Argh! I hate you two!"

John sighed and stuck his head back in his guidebook. Honestly. Girls. Why was he travelling with four of them again? It was insanity.


	19. Chapter 19: million dollar Magikarp

**19. The city of gold: the million dollar Magikarp and bike breaking Snorlax**

They had to camp for one more night before they reached Goldenrod City. It was an enormous place, John thought. It was the biggest city in Johto and apparently it was even catching up to the size of the biggest city in Kanto, which was Saffron City. When they entered the city there was the impression of gold, as cheesy as it sounded, because most of the buildings and paving were built from the same yellowy bricks.

"Where do you think the shopping centre is?" Flo asked.

She was carrying her Togepi in her arms and, while they had been walking, it had waved its little paws happily. However, now they had entered a noisy city, it squeaked and tried to hide its face. The bustle of so many people and vehicles was too much for the baby Pokémon. It was terrified. Eventually Flo had to wrap the Pokémon in her arm warmers and let it sit tucked into her jacket. It seemed to feel a little safer there.

"We should probably go to the Pokémon Centre first," John said. "Just to get a check up. Our Pokémon did fight against Team Rocket the other day."

The Pokémon Centre was located nearer the city centre and, conveniently, it was also by the enormous department store. Everyone but John and Rina looked excited at the prospect of shopping. Nila hoped that they would have lots of milkshake in the food quarter. Kaida wanted a new umbrella even though the last two had been destroyed. She was not giving up on the Cyndaquil rain protection. It was too adorable.

Their Pokémon turned out to be fine and they even ran into a familiar face at the Pokémon Centre. Penelope's pigtails flew behind her as she ran over to greet them, dragging several friends in tow.

"Didn't think I'd see you lot again," she said. "How have you been?"

"I've got two gym badges now," Nila told her.

"You're still behind me then. I've got three from Johto." Penelope waved a hand behind her at a dark skinned girl with frizzy hair and a red hat. "Amala here has four. Cyan has none. But he likes to enter bug contests instead."

Cyan pushed his glasses up his nose at the mention of his name. The glasses were hideous – round and wide rimmed – but he was reasonably cute behind them to make up for it. He didn't have anything on Matt, of course, Kaida thought, but she also thought that she might be a little biased. Only a smidge though. Matt was gorgeous.

"So why aren't you at the bug catching contest now?" John asked. "It is at National Park, yes?" He had out his guidebook again and was presumably reading a page on it. "I'm thinking of taking a trip up there myself."

"Do you have any bug Pokémon?" Cyan asked.

"I have a Pineco," John replied, "but it isn't really being very agreeable at the moment. It keeps running away. I'm seriously considering buying a lead…"

John and Cyan broke into a discussion about bug Pokémon that culminated in Cyan offering to help train Pineco. He too, he said, had faced his fair share of skittish Pokémon and he was all too happy to share his expertise. Cyan suggested they go to the training grounds and the pair disappeared.

"We should go too," Penelope suggested. "We can have a battle again, Nila. Or," Penelope said, looking at Kaida, "I can finally battle you. Then Nila can battle Amala."

Kaida and Nila looked at each other and shrugged. It sounded fine to them. While they travelled between places they mostly battled each other to train. And, while they occasionally battled a passerby, it was always good to try out different trainers, who would always have very different tactics.

"But I wanted to go shopping," Flo complained.

"Well go shopping then," Kaida said. "Take Rina. We can meet back here later."

Flo hesitated. On the one hand, she did really want to go shopping and she thought watching more trainer battles would make her die from boredom. On the other, she would have to handle Rina by herself. It was a tricky task. She sighed. Shopping won. She grabbed Rina's wrist and dragged her out of the door.

The battling courts were right next to the tennis courts behind the Pokémon Centre, although they were far larger. They located a spare area and set themselves up for a battle. Penelope was going to fight Kaida and Amala was going to fight Nila. Kaida prepared Cyndaquil while Penelope used a Pikachu this time. Kaida sent forward her Cyndaquil, reasonably confident, but was shocked to the core when, a few minutes into the battle, Pikachu suddenly performed a water move, Surf, against it. She blinked several times as the flame was extinguished from Cyndaquil's back. Penelope giggled.

"Yeah, people don't expect that," she said cheerfully. "Pikachu that know this move are rare! It knows other powerful moves too."

While Cyndaquil was still recovering from the water attack, Pikachu used Quick Attack against it. Cyndaquil's health was greatly diminished and Kaida ordered it to use Quick Attack in return. Cyndaquil was faster than Pikachu and managed to get in a hit and dodge the next Surf attack but it was then slammed into by an attack that Penelope claimed was Volt Tackle. It seemed to do a considerable amount of damage to the Pikachu as well but, in the end, it was far too much for Cyndaquil. It collapsed, too weak to go on. Kaida rushed to its side and picked it up. She couldn't believe the crushing defeat.

"I took you by surprise," Penelope said. "You have to be prepared for everything."

Well she would be now, Kaida vowed. Electric Pokémon knowing water moves… It was ridiculous. Water was pure evil.

Amala had sent out a Magby, which was weak against Nila's choice of Sandshrew. However, it had used Smokescreen almost immediately, which had left Sandshrew open to a Faint Attack. Still, Sandshrew knew Swift, and used it well against Magby. Its lowered evasion was negated by the brilliance of the move. When the smokescreen had cleared slightly, Sandshrew changed tactics and used Scratch. Instead, however, the move was more powerful. It seemed that Sandshrew had finally learnt Slash. After kicking up Sand Attack to lower Magby's evasion, it hit with several decisive blows to put Magby out of the fight.

"You had the type advantage," Amala said.

"That was your decision," Nila said, rolling her eyes. "I sent out Sandshrew first. Besides, I didn't even use any ground moves!"

"I couldn't use fire moves!"

"Again, not my fault."

Kaida wondered if Nila had to start fights with everyone she met. However, like with Gwen, Amala was grinning slightly. Perhaps it would only turn into another rivalry after all.

Nila and Penelope decided the losers had to pay for lunch, which did not impress Amala and Kaida, who coughed up but swore revenge. Next time they all met up, Kaida and Amala were definitely going to win and then order something ridiculously expensive like lobster. Fortunately, Penelope and Nila had simpler tastes and wanted to get rice and spring rolls from the nearby takeaway.

They walked to the park. It was a strange green space in an otherwise manmade world and, while there was nature, it was carefully cultivated, with immaculately trimmed bushes, neatly mown grass, and smatterings of human products like bins and lampposts and signs.

"I'm not sure you should feed Eevee chips," Nila said doubtfully as they found a bench to sit on.

"A few won't hurt," Kaida said, hugging her new Pokémon fondly.

On the ground, Cyndaquil was looking deeply upset. It was not threatened by Gastly – it was difficult to snuggle with one of those – but Kaida now seemed to have replaced it with a new hugging partner. Its head dropped sadly. Maybe Kaida didn't like it anymore because it had lost in a battle. It sloped off to one side, curling up miserably on the picnic blanket next to the bench.

"Soo…" Penelope said. "Where are you gonna go next?"

"We're off back to the bug contest," Amala interjected.

"John will probably want to go up there," Kaida said. "It is on the way to our next town. We need to beat this gym leader first though."

"Cool," Penelope said, stuffing a few of Amala's chips in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed heavily. "We have to go back down south to beat Bugsy after this. We don't have Whitney's badge though."

"That Miltank is a menace," Amala said, nodding. "I had a go but she's tough! I need to think strategy before I try again."

So Amala had faced Whitney and lost but she already had four other badges. This didn't bode well for them. Still, neither Kaida nor Nila where going to give up that easily.

"Got any tips?" Kaida asked.

"Find away to avoid Rollout?" Amala shrugged. "That thing moves quickly. Plus, it gets stronger every time."

"You need to be super speedy or knock it out straight away," Penelope told them. "Like Amala said. That thing is a beast!"

After lunch, they returned to the Pokémon Centre. As they walked Kaida took in the sights of the city. She had rarely left New Bark Town before and it was drastic change. Everywhere there was movement: there were vendors on street corners trying to sell Pokémon goods, food, and various trinkets; the shops lined up around them with fronts of glass with posing mannequins or bold advertising signs; there were men and woman with clipboards trying to grab people's attention in the crowds.

It was mayhem. People were dropping litter and uniformed people and Pokémon picking it up. A hotdog dropped was now the meal for a hungry Rattata. There was such a sense of waste but, at the same time, a sense of rejuvenation. The city was young and bustling. It had pressed down on green pastured and sprung into something unlike anything natural.

Nila was less interested. Her family had moved to New Bark when she was little from the city port of Vermillion in Kanto, which was also expanding rapidly each year, unlike the smaller Olivine City, its counterpart in Johto. Cities still gave her headaches though. The noise was a chaotic sympathy of clashes and bangs and voices getting louder and louder and louder… She grimaced. The sooner she could leave this place the better. She liked quiet.

Back at the Pokémon Centre they found Rina and Flo were waiting for them. Both were sat down but Rina was slouched over, holding a Pokéball in one hand, while Flo was upright and seemed to be yelling at her.

"This idiot," Flo said, "just used her parents' credit card to buy a Pokémon."

Kaida frowned. "You have your parents' credit card?"

Just how rich were they?

"Also, why is she an idiot?" Kaida asked.

"This guy in the underground place was telling her how powerful and amazing and rare it was and she just ran and got money out and gave it to him," Flo ranted. "And guess what it was! Guess!" She didn't give them time to try. "A Magikarp! I can't believe her. Even I know that Pokémon is completely useless." Bitterly, she added, "Stupid Splash move."

"Hey, do I call your Hoppip useless?" Rina said, cradling the Pokéball. "Poor Magikarp."

"No, _I _call Hoppip useless!"

Rina stood up suddenly. "Well your Hoppip _is _useless then. This Magikarp is enormously powerful! Go, Magikarp!"

She unleashed the Pokémon. It was indeed a Magikarp. It materialised on the pavement and proceeded to flop around helplessly. They all watched.

"Maybe that's bad for it," Flo said finally.

Kaida was too busy thinking about how a lot of water Pokémon were useless out of the water to act. Nila, on the other hand, grabbed the Pokéball from Rina's hand and returned the fish.

"Idiot," she said.

"Notta idiot!" Rina squeaked, her words slurring together in her indignation.

"Yes, you are," Nila said firmly.

Rina's fists scrunched into balls and she began to speak. "I…" Then she trailed off. Abruptly, her face brightened and her hands relaxed.

"That person has cookies!" she declared. "Attack!"

She went flying off to beg cookies from a complete stranger, who looked extremely alarmed by the strange purple haired girl who was extending her hands pleadingly. Eventually the man gave her a cookie and then hurried off, still bewildered and startled. Rina chomped the cookie triumphantly, a happy smile on her face.

"I love cookies," she said.

"And cheese," Flo said, remembering the cheese incident that had ended up with her hanging upside down in a net.

"Cheese cookies," Rina agreed. "I wonder how they make them."

"They don't," Kaida said, shocked, "and for a damn good reason!"

"I think they'd be nommy," Rina said happily, polishing off the rest of her cookie. She licked the crumbs from her fingers contently. "Mmm. Nom nom."

They all stared.

Incredulously, Kaida mouthed, "Nom?"

Nila blinked. She shrugged. She had given up on that girl. There were more than just a few screws lose in that head. She glanced at Flo. Insanity seemed to be attracted to them. There had to be some kind of magnetic pull. She blamed Kaida.

Gasps and shocks came from further inside the Pokémon Centre. They all looked to see that people were crowding around the overhead television which had a news report flashing across the scene. Intrigued, the girls moved towards the television so they could see what was going on. It took a few sharp elbows from Nila before they could get into a position in the crowd where they could all see.

"…flying East over the mountains… odd pictures… seems to be moving fairly slowly. Could it be hurt? Our news team has gone up in a helicopter to see whether this really _is _the elusive legendary Pokémon Lugia."

Kaida gasped. Lugia! She had wanted to see Lugia since she could remember. Her love for that legend came second only to her passion for fire Pokémon. There had been a sighting and they were going to get closer?! This was amazing. Her throat caught and she stared, unblinkingly, at the screen.

"Here it is!"

The helicopter was moving underneath a small blob in the sky, which did look distinctly like Lugia. However, there was something strange and distorted about the image. It didn't appear to be flapping its large wings and, while from the ground it looked large, when the helicopter drew closer it didn't seem to be getting much bigger. Kaida's face paled as she realised what had happened.

"That's my Lugia toy!" she cried.

"What?!" a few people exclaimed around them.

"To get it boxed and shipped was expensive so they said after the storm cleared up they could send it with a Noctowl or something in protective wrapping!"

"No way," a member of the crowd disagreed.

"You can see the tag sticking out of its bum!" Kaida yelled, flapping her arms at the screen. "Look! It has clear wrapping around it!"

There was a collective groan as the news cast finally realised the truth and revealed the unfortunate and quite embarrassing mistake. Kaida scowled in frustration. She had thought she was going to get a glimpse of the legendary Pokémon Lugia and, instead, she only saw her stuffed toy being flown to New Bark Town! Life was so unfair.

Nila snickered. Kaida glared. But then everyone else began laughing at the mistake too. Kaida was left alone in her disappointment. Idiots. How could they not have realised?! The toy was big, yes, but not _that _big. Still… That toy had better get to her house in one piece or she was going to be furious.

-

"Cyan really helped me with my Pineco," John said. "I don't think I'll need the lead after all."

"So it has stopped running away?" Kaida asked.

John scratched his head. "Uuuh… Not _exactly_."

Kaida frowned. That had been the problem and if John hadn't fixed that then what on earth had Cyan helped him with?

"Well, now I sort of pounce on him when he comes out," John said. "Pineco is easily startled and going in and out the Pokéball just sets him off." He grinned. "But," he said, elongating the word to emphasise his success, "if I grab Pineco when it comes out then I can wait until it calms down!"

They all blinked. Well, it was a little progress at least…

"I'll show you," he said, releasing Pineco from the Pokéball.

He dived on the Pineco immediately, pinning it to the ground. Pineco started to struggle but John clung on gamely even as it attempted to toss him away. Eventually Pineco stilled and John stood up, patting it on the head.

"See," John said proudly. "It works."

He folded his arms across his chest to signal a job well done.

"Uuh, John," Kaida said weakly.

John looked at her questioningly and then looked down at the empty space beside him. His eyes widened comically.

"Pineco!" he yelped.

He caught sight of the Pineco disappearing down a side road and started to run after it.

"Urgh," Kaida said. "I suppose we better help. That thing will probably get run over otherwise."

Kaida and Nila started to run after him. John was a fair bit faster because of his much longer legs but they managed to keep up reasonably well, even if Nila did mutter a complaint about exercise. Kaida rolled her eyes. Nila could complain all she wanted but she was actually the sportiest of them, having played quite a few sports back in New Bark Town. She was a bit faster than Kaida too, but Kaida blamed that on her infernal shortness. Nila had more to work with.

Meanwhile, Flo and Rina huffed behind them. Flo was asthmatic and Rina… Well, she claimed she wasn't but she was huffing and puffing just as much. Perhaps she was simply unfit. They slowed down to the jog and were soon lost in the labyrinth of the city. They looked around desperately for signs as they walked up a small alley.

Then, something small and pink dropped in front of them.

"Jiggly!" it declared.

"Oh, for the love of…" Flo cried. "You had to insult the Jigglypuff and now it is back…"

"Huh?" Rina said, confused. She looked back at the Jigglypuff. "Haha," she said. "It's so round. It's like a football. Or maybe a pink beach ball!"

She kicked the Jigglypuff and It flying into the air. It hit the ground and rolled away along the alley. It jumped up again furiously.

"Jiggly," it said menacingly. "Jiggly, jiggly!"

Flo winced. She braced herself for the Doubleslap she was sure would follow…

But, instead, Jigglypuff opened its mouth and started to _sing._

"Haha, what is that supposed to do?" Rina asked.

"Rina, you complete…" Flo trailed off. Her eyes were heavy. Soon they were shut and she was slumping to the floor, with Rina alongside her. Mmn. Sleep. Jigglypuff. _Oh_.

Back in the pursuit of John's Pokémon, Pineco got stuck behind some slow moving people and was unable to dart through, which meant that John, Kaida, and Nila managed to catch up. They struggled through the crowd and watched Pineco dart down another small side road. This city was a maze! They followed Pineco around the corner. It sped up, heading for a wall at the end of the cul-de-sac that it would probably be able to scale. It would be impossible for them to follow. John groaned. However, quite suddenly, a Snorlax walked out of another side alley and flopped to the floor, snoozing. It landed straight on Pineco, which seemed to squeal in pain.

"No, Snorlax!" a frustrated voice said. "Don't go back to sleep!"

A boy emerged. He kicked Snorlax in the side but Snorlax only let out a rumbling snore. The boy cursed. He put his hands on his brown spiky hair and let out a giant huff.

"First the bike and now this…" the boy muttered. "Hello?"

He had looked up questioningly when they reached them.

"Um, your Snorlax just fell on my Pineco," John said.

The boys eyed widened. "What?!"

"Yeah, my Pineco was running…"

The boy rushed round to see where Pineco formed a small, struggling lump under Pineco. The Snorlax was simply too heavy.

"Your Pineco is doomed," the boy said, waving his arms at his Snorlax. "How am I supposed to move this big lump?"

"Return it to its Pokéball?" Kaida suggested.

"I can't," the boy said, "because the stupid thing _ate _it."

They all stared. All of them had heard that Snorlax could eat pretty much anything but this had to top it all.

"Well, I can't return Pineco because I can't see it!"

The boy then looked thoughtful and put his hand on his chin.

"I suppose we could try to roll it," he said. "Maybe all of us."

They all lined up along the side of Snorlax and started to push, putting all of the bodies into it. Snorlax didn't even budge.

"How fat is this thing?!" John said incredulously, his voice getting significantly higher in pitch.

"Pretty fat," the boy said needlessly. "It's pretty stupid too. How can it even sleep on that Pineco? It has got to be uncomfortable."

Pineco was wheezing desperately.

"I have an idea," the boy said suddenly. "Do any of you have any food?"

John caught on immediately. He rummaged through his bag.

"The more it smells the better," the boy added.

They stood a little way away from Snorlax and began to heat up a various array of food over Cyndaquil's back. Some bread was being nicely toasted and some sausages John had meant for their breakfast – before Pineco had run off again – were also heating up. Nila cringed in disgust and walked away. She had been given the job of returning Pineco to its Pokéball because she refused to help with the food. She hated meat.

"Come on, Snorlax," the boy cooed. "Come on, get it through your stupid pea sized brain, you big oaf… Food… It's over here!"

Snorlax sniffed. It moved slightly, putting more weight onto Pineco. Pineco made a noise of protest. Then Snorlax sniffed again as they wafted more of the fumes towards it. It rubbed its eyes and blinked slowly. Then it saw the food.

"Snore!" it said. "Snorlax!"

"Abandon, abandon!" the boy yelled.

They dropped the food and ran out of the way in the nick of time, as the large Pokémon thundered towards them at a surprisingly quick pace, its heavy footsteps rumbling the ground. Behind it, Pineco was still on the floor, groaning pathetically. Nila was about to return it to its Pokéball when John scooped it up.

"Silly, Pineco," John said, almost fondly. "See what happens when you do _idiotic _stuff like that? You get sat on by a Snorlax! You're best to stay with me."

He patted it before getting the Pokéball from Nila and returning it. He would take it back to the Pokémon centre for a nurse to examine. Of course, he would insist on being in a room with the door firmly shut before doing it. Just in case.

Snorlax was scoffing the food loudly. It was soon all gone and it looked around in disappointment.

"Snore?"

"It's all gone, you greedy lump," the boy said.

"Snore?"

"Yes," the boy said, making an exasperated sound. "And I was so happy when you evolved… Look at all the trouble you've caused since!"

He turned back to them. "Sorry about Snorlax. He's just being, well, a Snorlax." He held his hand out. "I'm Reid, by the way."

"It's fine," John said. "So you evolved him?"

"Yeah, I got him as a Munchlax quite a while ago," Reid said. "It was great. I'm a training tri-athlete, see, and I could put Munchlax on the basket on the front of my bike if it didn't want to be in the Pokéball when I was travelling between races or contests... We also used to go to eating contests." He patted his flat stomach. "That was fun. Pies, pizza, ice cream, whatever. We would eat it and we'd win pretty often. Then we entered a really tough contest one day…"

-

_The other team, a girl and her Swinub, had eaten a vast amount. They were at least five pies ahead of Reid and his Munchlax. Reid ploughed on bravely but Munchlax was starting to look sick. It was so bloated that it could hardly move._

"_Come on, Munchlax," he gasped. "We have to keep going."_

"_You'll never win!" the girl said, triumphantly, chomping her way through another chocolate pie._

"_Munch!" Munchlax whined._

"_Come on, Munchlax," Reid urged again, through another mouthful of food._

"_Munch," it said pitifully._

_Then, quite suddenly, Munchlax began to glow. They all watched with wide eyes, pies half way in their mouths, as it swelled larger and larger and larger… Then the glow dissipated._

"_Snorlax!" the giant Pokémon cried._

_Reid blinked._

"_Snore!" the Pokémon continued, grabbing more pies and shoving them in its mouth at rapid speed._

_Reid's eyes widened. He had never seen anything eat so much so quickly. It was astounding. In the end he and Snorlax won by a landslide. He was so proud of his Pokémon…_

_The next day he got his bike ready to cycle to meet some of his training buddies. He knew that he needed to take the basket from the front of his bike and was just heading out to do that when he had a crashing sound. He ran around the front of the building to see Snorlax on the floor. It stood up, confused, and looked around. On the ground, behind it, were the tangled remains of Reid's expensive racing bike. Reid fell to his knees._

"_Nooooo!"_

-

"It thought it could still get in the basket," Reid said, shaking his head. "Idiot. It completely destroyed my bike."

They all looked at Snorlax. It had begun snoozing again. How had it been so stupid?

"I can't afford a new one," Reid said. "I can especially to this bike shop – they make the best bikes – but I'm short so much money."

"How much do you need?" John asked.

Reid quoted the amount. Their eyes bugged.

"How will you _ever _get that?"

"I'm not sure," Reid said. "I mean, I used to be an all right battler so I could enter those contests but I can't anymore because that thing is too lazy. I'm going to have to go on a tour of eating contests and try to raise the money that way. It will take a long time but I don't really have any other choice. Cycling was my best event. I have to have the right bike."

Suddenly, Snorlax wiggled uncomfortably and burped. Something came flying out of its mouth, hitting the opposite wall. On closer inspection it was the lost Pokéball.

"Now that is disgusting," Reid said, repelled.

John ordered Totodile to use Water Gun to clean it off. Reid picked it up gingerly and returned his Pokémon.

"I need to give this and my hands a good soapy scrub," he said.

Nila got out her anti-bacterial hand scrub and squirted some on his hands. He scrubbed some on the Pokéball too and then Totodile gave it another quick rinse.

"Where is your next eating contest?" John asked.

"Well, there is actually one in a few days," Reid said. "The next major one I'll have time to get to is in Ecruteak City. That's a while away."

"Hey," John said. "We're going there after Goldenrod. You should come with us."

Reid thought about it. "It would be better than going alone."

"You have to," John said. "I'm travelling with four girls. I don't think I can take it anymore."

Reid laughed. "Uh, OK, then. If you're going at the right time then I'll come with you."

"It's settled," John said.

"Thanks, John," Kaida said. "We're not that bad."

John raised his eyebrows. There was Kaida with her temper and extreme fire Pokémon passion, Nila with her pickiness and general grumpiness, Flo with her crazy outfits and cluelessness, and Rina… Well, Rina was pretty self-explanatory. She was a nut job.

"Where are you staying?" John asked.

"At my Aunt's," Reid said. "She has a flat. She's not here at the moment but I'm allowed to use it. What about you?"

"The Pokémon Centre has accommodation for trainers," John said.

"Oh, cool," Reid said. "It's probably not that great though. You can come stay with me."

"Really?" John said, a little surprised at the sudden offer.

"Well I assume you aren't crazy psycho killers. If you are…" He trailed off. "Actually, I doubt Snorlax would do very much. Maybe it would realise I'm the one who feeds it, which is pretty costly too…" He frowned. "I'm never going to get a new bike."

"We could help," John said.

"Yeah," Kaida said. "If worst comes to worst we can steal Rina's credit card. What were her parents thinking…?"

"I don't know," John said. He looked around. "Actually, where _are_ Rina and Flo?"

Several streets away and Flo and Rina were still snoozing on the floor with a triumphant Jigglypuff dancing around them as it plotted further vengeance. Fat? It would show them… It laughed manically as it gleefully removed their socks…


	20. Chapter 20: more fashion disasters

**20. More fashion disasters and an evil cow on top**

After Flo and Rina finally woke up, strangely sockless, and returned to the Pokémon Centre, they went to see the flat of Reid's Aunt. It was surprisingly big and, since it was near the centre of Goldenrod, it had to have cost quite a lot. Reid said that she was some hot shot who worked in the Radio Tower with some pretty important job. He wasn't sure what, only that she wasn't a presenter.

"To be honest, it sounded pretty boring," he said.

They settled in. Reid and John shared the bunk beds in the spare bedroom while the girls camped out in the living room. That evening Kaida was enlisted to make more brownies and she even whipped up some cookies as well. Unfortunately, as she left them out to cool down, they mysteriously went missing. Everyone noticed that Rina drank a lot of cold drink afterwards, and kept touching a scorched tongue. Apparently the heat hadn't stopped her.

The next day Flo declared that she wanted to go shopping properly without having to babysit Rina. Kaida and Nila agreed to join her on her shopping trip, even though they had wanted to check out the gym, but were wary about looking after Rina: she was a bit of a handful. Then again there were now three of them so hopefully no more expensive Magikarp would be purchased this time around.

John had opted out of shopping because he was still recovering from the great Pokémon hunt from the last shop and that wasn't even mentioning the horror of Nila stroking a fridge in public. He had decided that he would take Reid for a coffee to get to know him better and to save him from the girls. He needed to prepare Reid for the journey ahead as, after all, these girls were not like any girls he had ever met: they were all completely insane. As everyone set off for the nearest cafe or the massive department store they all agreed to meet the back at the Pokémon centre at five o'clock so that they could all have dinner. As Reid and John walked off into the distance, happily chatting and enjoying each others company, Flo ruined the moment.

"Are you sure John's not gay?"

As she spoke, she tugged Nila's striped polo shirt. Nila looked down, disgusted, as if Flo had injected her with a million germs.

"Who knows?" Kaida said, laughing at the two men going off on their 'man date.' "But I think you should really let go of Nila's t-shirt before you anger the beast."

"Huh?"

Flo looked back to Nila, whose eyes were narrowed with hatred for Flo's clammy hands.

"Haha. Oops." Flo grimaced as the glare intensified. "No bad feelings, Nila."

She released the t-shirt and brushed it down so the crinkles looked less obvious.

"Hug?" Flo asked weakly.

Nila intensified her glare and opened her mouth to tell Flo that if she tried she would bite her, but she was cut off by Rina grabbing her from behind.

"Sneak hug!" Rina squeaked happily, her arms tightly wrapped around Nila.

"Argh!"

Nila's scream echoed for miles as she struggled to throw Rina from her.

"Run!" Kaida yelped, seeing the murderous look on Nila's face. "She's a dead girl, let's save ourselves!"

She grabbed Cyndaquil and Eevee from the ground and ran into the department store followed by Flo, who was trying to calm a rather distressed Togepi.

"Any chance she might live?" Flo looked worriedly to the automatic glass doors, expecting Nila to smash though them any moment.

"Maybe, but it's very slim."

Kaida placed Cyndaquil on her shoulder, in its usual position, and swung her rucksack bag around, so it was just hanging on one shoulder. She unzipped it so Eevee could sit on top of her spare clothes and poke its head out to see its surroundings. Togepi had thankfully calmed down and was now looking curiously at one of the large mirrored walls. Its brain was slowly realising it was the same Togepi as the one in the reflection as it erratically moved its hands as if to try and catch out the new Togepi. A yelping was heard from the door way, causing Kaida to look up from trying to make Eevee comfy: Nila was marching towards her and Flo, dragging Rina by her purple hair, looking grumpier then usual.

"She touched me," Nila hissed at Kaida. "No one touches me! You know I don't like it."

She released Rina, which caused the young girl to slump onto the hard tiled floor, where she stumbled to gain an upright position.

"I know, dear, I know." Kaida laughed, patting Nila's shoulder.

She was the only person who got away with making contact (well, from time to time) as Nila normally checked her for illness symptoms once a day. Besides, Nila had once mentioned that they were always in the same environment so would probably be subject to the same pathogens anyway. This had flown a little over Kaida's head but she had agreed anyway. Another smash later and the three girls turned to see Rina in a heap on the floor, surrounded by the contents of the display she walked into.

"Can't take you anywhere, can we?" Kaida gave a long suffering sigh and yanked Rina up by her hand.

"Does she have to come?" Flo whined, stomping her foot like a little child, earning her a slap round the head from Nila, whose headache from the city had been made worse with all the hysterics.

"Rina, how would you like to go and stay on the best floor ever?" Kaida asked excitedly, in the voice that people used to impress very small toddlers. Rina's eyes became saucers and Kaida knew she had won. "Now if you go to the top floor there are the _best_ fruit drinks in the vending machine. Now, if you promise to stay there until we come and get you, I will give you this shiny spoon."

Kaida pulled out one of John's spoons that she had used to dish up Pokémon food first thing that morning. Luckily Wooper's water gun was extremely powerful and had made the spoon extra shiny, just the way Rina liked things. Rina nodded her head, her eyes never leaving the spoon.

"Great," Kaida grinned, pushing her toward the lift. "Now remember: top floor." She reached round and pressed the button for her, as Rina was too busy examining her prize. "See you in a few hours," she said, as the doors shut.

Flo cheered behind her: now they could have a stress free shopping trip.

Two hours later and Flo had pulled Nila and Kaida into the changing rooms with a huge armful of clothes, demanding they help her chose the best outfit for the next Bellsprout dance, as she felt her old one reminded her too much of her old Bellsprout. Kaida and Nila sank onto two large arm chairs as Flo pranced into the changing room and shut the silk red curtains. Nila was happily drinking a mint choc chip milkshake, which Flo had bought her as an apology for touching her, while Kaida was happily applying badges she had bought from the floor below to the front pocket of her bag. Cyndaquil and Eevee watched with interest as she explained the badges to them. Cyndaquil sat smugly on her leg, happy that Eevee had to sit on the floor, and nuzzled her hand. The first badge read: "I 'heart' Fire Pokémon"; the second said "Lugia is my homebird"; the third, and her favourite, read "Cyndaquil is love." Cyndaquil squealed with joy, now reassured that it was Kaida's favourite.

"What do you think?" Flo flung open the curtain in one of her choices.

Nila spat out the mouthful of milkshake that she had in her mouth. She thought Flo's outfits couldn't get any worse; she was so wrong. Flo stood before them in what could only be described as a UV nightmare. She wore bright white trainers over lapped with neon pink leg warmers that matched the arm warmers she had on. Her bottom half was covered in bright orange fishnet tights and the rest of her was covered in a gigantic white t shirt which went down to the middle of her thigh. Kaida swore she could see a neon green bra radiating through the t-shirt but she was too distracted by the huge neon yellow belt going round her middle.

"Sooo....?" Flo urged them.

"I think I've gone blind," Nila cried, hiding her face so she couldn't see the disaster.

"I'll take that as a no." Flo pouted

"It's a huge resounding NO!" Kaida spluttered, stroking Cyndaquil and squinting at Flo to make her point.

Flo's Psyduck, sitting next to them, cocked its head in pain. Kaida wasn't sure but she could have sworn its expression seemed more pained, its head intensified by the horrible brightness of Flo's outfit.

Flo returned to the changing room, slightly annoyed, but not about to give up. She was sure that she could make an outfit that Nila and Kaida would long to wear and also impress Danny so that he would fall in love with her, which would prove he wasn't gay. Twenty minutes passed, and Nila and Kaida where discussing what they wanted for dinner, when Flo reappeared.

"Now what do you think?" Flo twirled. This time she had opted for white cowboy boots, a short blue denim skirt, a pink and green poncho and a Mexican hat.

"It's still hideous," Nila said. This time she had been careful not to drink when Flo had announced she was going to emerge. "I don't like it."

"Well, it is better then last time," Kaida reasoned. "You are improving," she added encouragingly. Yes, at least it hadn't blinded them this time…

Flo smiled. She knew she had the perfect outfit to wow them. Another twenty minutes pasted where Kaida and Nila discussed the pros and cons of the different ways of evolving Eevee. Flo stepped out into what she hoped would be an acceptable outfit. She had chosen black flat boots so they were easy to dance in, a light blue mid thigh length flowing dress that had poofy sleeves and poofed out dramatically at the bottom. A black belt held in her waist.

"I'd like it better without the arm warmers." Nila pointed towards the pink crimes to fashion that Flo had refused to take off since they had begun their journey with her.

"What? No they are my lucky arm warmers," she pleaded. "I can't not wear them!"

"Urgh. Fine."

Nila was too hungry to get into a silly debate over arm warmers that she could easily steal and set fire to later to prevent further crimes again both fashion and her compromised eyesight.

"Now," Nila said, "hurry up and buy that stuff so we can go have dinner."

She thought that she would get cheese and tomato pasta.

"We have to get Rina first." Kaida groaned as she stretched her arms and legs that had become extremely cramped from sitting in a chair for around an hour and a half. Eevee jumped back into her open bag while Cyndaquil waited patiently for Kaida to place it back on her shoulder.

"Can't we just leave her here?" Nila yawned, already bored.

"She'll hunt us down and find us anyway," Flo muttered behind the curtain "That girl is that annoying."

Nila bit back a rude remark and instead snapped, "Less speaking, more changing."

Her harsh tone caused Cyndaquil to jump at Kaida in alarm and cling to her t shirt in fear. Kaida petted its head and whispered soothingly.

After Flo had paid for her new outfit, the three girls set off to find Rina after a short trip in the lift they were greeted with an unusual sight. Rina was sat alone at a table surrounded by empty cans of Fruit Fizz. The girl was happily slurping away at what looked to be her twentieth can. The girls slowly walked over to the table. Kaida was worried by how many e-numbers and the amount of sugar she had consumed in one sitting.

"Rina?" she asked tentatively.

"KAIDA!" Rina screamed, jumping at her and hauling her into a bear hug. "You have to try this stuff! It's amazing! It's like cheese, but fruitier, and you can drink it of course! You can't drink cheese! I don't think you have to eat it like in a sandwich or on toast or on cereal! It's amazing!"

Rina continued to ramble incredibly fast, but Kaida's head couldn't take anymore of the nonsense that she was coming out with.

"Oh crap, she's high!" Flo cringed as Rina turned to her arms outstretched.

"Hug me!" Rina's voice was as high-pitched as someone on helium as she bounced towards Flo.

"Run!" Kaida yelled, for the second time that day, grabbing Flo's arm as she chased Nila down a flight of stairs.

Rina's voice echoed from behind them. "Are we playing a game? I like games!" She cackled and they heard her start to run after them.

"Let this be a lesson to us all!" Kaida panted as they swung round a corner to be greeted with another flight of stairs. "Never _ever_ let Rina near sugar or e-numbers: they are bad for our health."

"So much exercise," Nila moaned. "Next time we leave her to the wrath of the Pokémon she pokes."

"Agreed," the three girls chorused, hoping that Rina's sugar high would end soon so that they could have a normal day for once.

Sadly, it was not to be.

**-**

The next day Kaida and Nila went to see the gym. Both had been brainstorming ideas during the night about how to deal with the tough Miltank that Penelope and Amala had mentioned. Kaida had her plan: she was going to use Gastly, who was immune to normal type moves. Nila was less sure but had decided that Mareep could be used. Thunder Wave and paralysis would stop that Miltank.

It was difficult finding the gym because people kept giving them contradictory directions. Or, perhaps, they did all lead to the gym. The city was a maze and there were bound to be many alternate routes. Eventually, however, they managed to find the gym and they walked up to it, with Mareep trotting alongside Nila and Cyndaquil on Kaida's shoulder. They entered to find there was a long queue of people jostling around. A harassed pink haired woman was standing at the front.

"I can't fight you _all _today," she said. "I've fought all of you several times already!"

It took a moment before Kaida and Nila realised that most of them were teenage boys, trying to get Whitney's attention, although there were a couple of girls in the mix.

"Battle? Whitney, how about a date?"

"Eh?!" the gym leader said.

"How are we going to get through?" Kaida asked.

Nila proceeded to use her elbows. They were scarily sharp. She elbowed a few boys in the ribs and ploughed through the crowd. Kaida followed her closely, warding off any people bumping into poor Cyndaquil with some well placed pinches.

"Excuse me," Nila said, once she had reached the front, "but I actually _do _want to battle you."

"So do all these people," Whitney said helplessly.

Nila glared. Then, she shouted, "Everybody SHUT UP!"

There was a small silence before the whisperings start again.

"Mareep, Thundershock the next person who talks."

Mareep crackled threateningly with electricity.

The crowd ignored it and erupted again. Mareep started to fire up a Thundershock when Nila stopped it. She opted for Plan B. She whispered into the boy's ear who was nearest to her, "Did you know Whitney used to be a man?"

There was a pause.

"Yeah, right," he said.

"No, seriously," Nila said convincingly. "Breasts that huge on someone so tiny. Boob job."

Kaida watched in amazement. The boy had soon spread the message to someone else before disappearing. Within minutes the whole crowd dissipated. Whitney was left, looking confused, but also grateful.

"Can I have my battle now?" Nila asked.

Whitney, still bewildered, nodded slowly and agreed.

The gym was a stark contrast to Bugsy's overgrown arena. It was more like Falkner's gym, although that had been bustling where this gym was now empty, because it was plain and simple, with no furnishings at all, except for a wooden bench along one wall, just behind where Whitney's opponent was supposed to stand. The walls, however, were covered with little Clefairy and various other cutesy normal type Pokémon. Kaida wrinkled her nose at this. They were all so _pink. _Her gym would look much better with walls painted to look like flames with life sized depictions of Charizard, Rapidash, Flareon… She was brought back to reality by an elbow in the side and Nila nudged her towards one of the benches. Kaida took a seat on the bench and sent out her Pokémon so they could watch the match and hopefully pick up some tips. Nila and Whitney stood on opposite sides of the arena and Mareep walked forwards, ready to go.

"Two versus two then," Whitney said. "Clefairy, go!"

Clefairy bounced forward.

"Clefairy use Metronome!"

"Mareep, Body Slam!"

Clefairy started up its attack but Mareep slammed into it before it could finish. Clefairy was bowled backwards and wailed pitifully. However, its concentration had not been broken and it immediately recommenced, its finger tips glowing with power. A strange glow erupted and Mareep was swept over with a strange distorting wave. Kaida consulted her Pokédex. That was Extrasensory.

"Mareep, Thundershock!"

"Metronome!"

"Thundershock!"

Mareep sparked the electric attack towards Clefairy, who leapt out the way. It all seemed a bit much for Clefairy as it ran around wildly, ignoring Whitney's orders. Nila raised her eyebrows.

"Calm down, Clefairy," Whitney said.

Clefairy had run to hide behind her legs. Nila's eyebrows were raised so high that she thought they might disappear into her hairline at any second. This was a gym leader? Her Miltank had to be _amazing_ if people were having trouble defeating her.

"Just try one more Metronome," Whitney said soothingly.

Clefairy walked forwards and glowed with power. Then, suddenly, it performed Rock Throw. Mareep skidded out of the way of the attack, although a few of the smaller ones hit and caused some damage.

"Thundershock again!"

The electrical attack hit Clefairy this time. Clefairy fell to the floor after it. As Mareep readied another electrical attack it ran and hid behind Whitney again. Nila sighed.

"Clefairy forfeits," Whitney said. She petted the startled Clefairy on the head and continued kindly, "It's all right. You'll do better next time." She turned back to the match. "OK. Go, Miltank!"

The cow Pokémon materialised and Mareep stood ready and, on command, it performed Thunder Wave. Miltank was paralysed. It moved slowly and sluggishly and could not avoid Mareep's Body Slam attack. It definitely couldn't start a Rollout attack like this!

"Miltank, use Heal Bell!"

Miltank closed its eyes and appeared to glow softly. Its limbs were freed and its status problem was solved. It was ready to fight again. Nila bit her lip. She hadn't anticipated that. She was going to have to hope that Mareep could deal with this.

"Mareep, use Charge!" she said.

Mareep built up its energy, ready to unleash it, just as Miltank started its fierce Rollout attack. It moved up to great speeds immediately and Mareep was slammed into before it could use the extra powered Thundershock move.

"Mareep, try a Body Slam!"

Mareep tried to slam into Miltank but it was only thrown backwards. It hadn't been strong enough. It would take a far sturdier Pokémon to deal much damage that way. Thoughts of Onix using Bind came into Nila's head. That would be a Pokémon that knew how to deal with this Miltank.

"Mareep, try Thundershock!"

All of Mareep's attacks didn't seem to have any effect on Miltank. It was beyond disconcerting. Nila wondered what she should do next. Mareep had dodged a few Rollout attacks but Miltank was getting faster and more powerful and Mareep was being slammed around the arena. Perhaps it would be best to withdraw Mareep. She was just drawing out her Pokéball when Mareep was hit a hard blow and went skidding across the floor. It was unconscious.

"Mareep, return," she said, watching the red light speed back towards the Pokéball.

Nila had to think carefully now. She had a choice of three other Pokémon, but she could hardly use Eevee as she had scarcely trained it at all. She had had a few little fights against Kaida's Eevee but that was it. It wasn't experienced enough at all. Plus, whilst Chikorita would be up for a fight, she wasn't sure what it could do that Mareep hadn't.

"Go, Sandshrew," she said.

Sandshrew appeared, waving its claws in the air. It prepared itself.

"Use Sand Attack!"

Miltank had stopped its Rollout and now got a face full of sand in its eyes. Hopefully that would slow it down. Its Rollout would be ineffective if it had low accuracy. It started the attack and Nila told Sandshrew to brace itself.

"Come on, Sandshrew, hit it down with Swift!"

Again, Swift just seemed to bounce off Sandshrew. Nila bit her lip. Perhaps Chikorita's Ancient Power would have had more luck. She couldn't change now though. She frowned determinedly. Sandshrew would manage. She hoped.

"Try and use Slash!"

Its claws were useless and again it was thrown backwards. Miltank was almost literally a tank. It didn't seem anything could get through that move.

"Stay strong, Sandshrew," she said.

Sandshrew moved forward again, ready to charge. It dodged a Rollout attack but was hit when Miltank came thundering around again. It went skidding backwards. It had taken a lot of damage as Rollout got stronger and stronger. Soon this match was going to be over and Nila was going to end up the loser.

Then Sandshrew started to glow. Nila watched in amazement as its form shuddered backwards and forwards and finally… Sandslash! Its spikes rippled as it marched back forwards.

"Come on, Sandslash," Nila urged.

Sandslash clicked its claws and moved forward. A great cloud of sand emerged. At first Nila wondered whether it had learnt Sandstorm but then she realised what she was seeing as Miltank was sucked down into quicksand. It struggled uselessly but it was trapped, unable to start its Rollout attack again.

"Sand Tomb," she muttered.

It was hurting Miltank, dragging it further under, but Miltank could do nothing about it. Sandslash took the opportunity to use Swift, the stars now hitting and hurting Whitney's Pokémon. Nila's fists were clenched. If Miltank couldn't get out then this battle was over. She watched Miltank struggle and then saw it manage to pull itself free. It tried to start its Rollout but she ordered a quick Slash attack, which further depleted its health. When it did manage to start its Rollout, Nila ordered Sandslash to curl up and, although it was hit and went flying, Miltank was hurt as it slammed into Sandslash's spiked back.

"Use Sand Tomb again!"

"Avoid it," Whitney said.

Miltank tried, and almost succeeded, but it had been surprised by the first attack and had succumbed. Now it was hurt. Its high stamina allowed it to evade the attack but continued use of Rollout was sapping its strength. When it slammed into Sandslash's spikes once more that was it. Miltank was down and out.

Whitney looked amazed that she had been beaten. Still, she managed to confer the Plain Badge to Nila, who accepted it gladly, patting her Sandslash on the head.

"Your Sandshrew really must have wanted to win to evolve into a Sandslash," Whitney said. "This is a bit upsetting."

Nila hoped she wouldn't cry. Her lip was quivering. Nila could not deal with crying people.

"I would like to battle you too," Kaida said. "Soon."

"Fine," Whitney said, happily, recovering herself. "I won't lose twice!"

They left the gym and Kaida congratulated Nila on her win. She wondered why Nila wasn't running around screaming but she knew that only shopping and milkshake tended to make Nila excited like that.

"I can't believe your Sandshrew evolved," Kaida said, patting the Sandslash on the head.

"Why, do you want Cyndaquil to evolve?" Nila asked.

Cyndaquil looked a little alarmed and overwhelmed. However, if its trainer said she would then it would start trying right away.

"Nah, Cyndaquil is cute and powerful as it is," Kaida said, stroking Cyndaquil's back. "If it evolved it wouldn't be able to sit on my shoulder either. Well, unless it did a Snorlax… I might be crushed like Reid's bike." She winced at the thought.

Cyndaquil was relieved and now determined that it would never evolve. Not being able to go on Kaida's shoulder! It was simply unthinkable.


	21. Chapter 21: eating contests and woes

**21. Of eating contests and battle woes**

The day after Nila's win at the gym, it was the time of Reid's eating contest and, as they all went to sleep that night, everyone was thinking about the following day's activities. Kaida couldn't challenge Whitney, as it was her day off, but she had arranged the battle for the next day, which her Pokémon didn't seem to mind. It gave her a little longer to think of strategy and required skills, which was always helpful, although it wasn't helping her nerves.

At breakfast, Eevee was happily licking the milk still left in its cereal bowl while Cyndaquil and Gastly finished off their own breakfast. Nila was cleaning her three badge while her mug of milk on the counter was guarded by Chikorita and Eevee as they also ate their breakfast. Sandslash and Mareep were playing on the floor, teasing Rina's two Slowpoke.

Rina had left her Magikarp in the bath, much to Flo's horror when she went for a shower. Nila, at this point, had threatened her that if it was not moved soon then Rina and the fish would be thrown from the forth floor window. Rina had luckily taken the hint. Flo still claimed that Magikarp was glaring at her, since she called it useless, and that it wanted her blood, but no one paid attention to this.

John had only let out Totodile as he felt the place was too crowed and was now reading the paper as the happy Pokémon danced all over the apartment, investigating the new environment, much to Reid's dismay. He was keeping an eye out for potential damage to his Aunt's expensive furniture.

"So what's the plan for today?" John asked, as he flicked through the paper, looking for any news of importance.

"Well." Reid looked up from where his head had been buried in the fridge. "I was hoping to enter the eating contest at lunch today. Today is spicy pies" He rubbed his stomach at the thought. "There's some good cash to be won at these eating contests."

"So, what? You get paid a ridiculous sum of money for stuffing your face with food?" Flo raised an eyebrow gazing up from her magazine "Contest Cuties."

"Curries wrapped in pastry?" John grinned. "I'm in."

"What about if we all enter?" Kaida pondered, taking the bowl from Eevee and putting it in the sink. "Then Reid has more chance of getting the money for his bike."

"Will there be cheese?" Rina's head popped up from behind the sofa.

"We know," Nila muttered, sipping her milk, trying to avoid the urge of killing Rina so early in the morning.

"No?" Reid said, baffled. "You could take your own, I guess."

Reid was confused by her love for cheese as he much preferred it accompanied by other food where as Rina would just bite into the block. They had discovered this when trying to make sandwiches the other day. Much of the cheese had large chunks taken out of it, marked by pointy teeth. They had given her the rest of that and told her not to contaminate anything else.

"Yay!" Rina smiled in triumph, like she had won an extremely long and hard battle.

"CoughFreakcough," Kaida muttered, returning Gastly to its Pokéball before it scared Rina again. As funny as it was, she didn't trust Rina and her cheese knife.

After a long debate, mainly with Nila, everyone decided they would enter so that there would be more chance of winning so Reid could get some money towards his bike. At noon they arrived at the contest area, which was being held in the garden of a large cafe that was producing the pies. The rules stated that each member had to have a Pokémon partner to help them complete the challenge of eating all the pies. There was no time limit for this contest, as Reid was pleased to see, as it was an 'eat until you burst' contest (in his words) where the winner was the team that ate the most until they gave up. He hoped that Snorlax would stay awake long enough to eat as many pies as possible but, as he said, at the prospect of food Snorlax did tend to be quite lively.

Kaida chose her Cyndaquil hoping that it would enjoy the hot spicy food. Nila had opted for Chikorita. She didn't expect she would win, being so picky with her food, and she doubted she would enjoy the contest at all. John had gone for Totodile, hoping that its enthusiasm would help him. Rina had chosen Wally, after much deliberation, and Flo had decided on Weepinbell, due to the fact that it had the biggest mouth.

They all took their seats on the stage, with the exception of Snorlax, who was so big it had to sit on the floor next to Reid, who was on the end. It could still easily reach the table. The competition, Reid noticed, only comprised of three people: an old fat man and his Granbull; a bug catcher and his Ledyba; and lastly, and most importantly, his rival, the girl and her Swinub, which Reid saw had evolved into a huge Piloswine. It looked more then capable of eating more then its own body weight in pies.

The girl glared at him down the table at Reid. Reid returned the look. She would not win, not with Snorlax on his team. When everyone was seated, the judge explained the rules as the pies where brought out in front of each contestant. Each team had a person sat in front of them, counting the number of pies properly eaten. Reid twitched his fingers impatiently as the mini mountain of pies was placed in front of him. Snorlax sniffed excitedly as the smell wafted towards it.

"Begin!" The main judge yelled, causing the small crowd to cheer excitedly.

Reid dove into his pile stuffing in pie after pie, Snorlax, on the other hand, was throwing in twenty pies at a time and, in about thirty seconds, his mini pie mountain was almost gone. The pies had to be rushed to them by the waitresses constantly. The others, however, weren't doing as well as the black hole Snorlax. John was on his second pie and was munching away happily until Totodile got too excited by the cheering crowd and had started to eat erratically sending pie everywhere. John grimaced as he saw the state of the counter. In addition, his entire torso was splattered with pie pieces.

"Disqualified!" The counter raised a red flag from his lap.

Totodile ignored the fact he had just ruined their chances and started to dance happily on the table, perhaps exacerbated by the bright shade of red. John decided to take it in his stride and started to cheer on Reid, throwing his unused pies onto Snorlax's ever lowering pile. The bug catcher further down the table began screaming that his mouth was on fire and resigned from the contest. Totodile, being the helpful Pokémon it was, fired a Water Gun in his direction to help cool him down. However, it was so powerful that it sent him and his Ledyba flying off the stage.

Nila had not touched her pies: one sniff and she decided that they weren't her taste and resigned almost instantly. Chikorita had also turned its nose up at the plate and was now curled asleep on the table while Nila sipped her water and watched Kaida epically fail. Although Kaida had a hot headed personality, she was not fond of hot food, and these pies were extremely hot. After many glasses of water, she had got through half a pie, the same as her Cyndaquil, who was starting to struggle with the heat. As the Reid's rival and her Piloswine at the end of the table burped, so did Cyndaquil, causing Flames to erupt from its mouth. Their counter set on fire but Totodile was prepared and sent another Water Gun and again knocked the man off the stage and into the crowd.

"I'm so sorry!" Kaida yelled as she lent over the table. "I'm sure your eyebrows will grow back in no time."

Nila sniggered into her glass. Watching Kaida cause trouble was always amusing.

Flo had also been disqualified as her Weepinbell had decided it would rather eat her than the pies. This meant that two members of the audience had to try and pull it off of her. Unfortunately, Weepinbell was very determined.

Rina was failing just as miserably. She had spent so much time grating cheese to go onto the pies that she had become bored and started to eat the cheese. Her counter had given up on her fairly quickly. Now that the old man and his Granbull had given up, it was between Reid and his Snorlax and the girl and her Piloswine. She had to be giving up soon, he thought, as even he was starting to feel full. Snorlax was still chucking back the pies along with barrels of water: it looked no way near full.

"She's struggling!" John clapped Reid on the back. "There's no way you can lose with Snorlax!"

"We are now out of pies!" The judge called. "Once your plate is empty the contest is over"

Reid grabbed one of his pies and grinned. They must have already beaten them with the amount of refills that Snorlax had eaten. Snorlax tipped the remaining pies into its mouth and threw the metal plate into the trees behind it. The girl raised her hand and shook her head. She couldn't continue. The score read sixty-eight to four hundred and seventy-nine. He had won!

"Hell yeah!" Reid jumped from his seat and punched the air. "We won! Oh yeah! Looooser."

He kept singing this tauntingly at the girl as he danced around, making made an L with his finger and thumb and holding it to his forehead. The girl was too stuffed to speak and so settled with a good glare that said he would pay for this.

Reid was still celebrating when they got back to the flat. It was all right for some. The girls were not so amused. While Rina had been eating cheese, her Slowpoke had actually been slowly digesting pies, and now it had horrific flatulence. Try as they might, they could not go to sleep with that thing farting through the night.

"It's foul!" Nila said.

"I can put Wally in the bathroom," Rina suggested.

"No way! Nila shook her head. "I don't want to have to deal with that in the morning! He'll have stunk the place out! I need a long shower!"

"Well…" Rina shrugged.

"Put it in its Pokéball!" Kaida said. She wanted to _sleep_.

"No!" Rina said. "It is sick! It needs hugs!"

"And how would it get that in the bathroom?" Nila demanded.

"I could go in there with it," Rina said. "Or maybe Reid's Aunt's room."

"No!"

Reid's voice came loudly from the spare bedroom that he and John were sharing. He did not want his Aunt's bedroom to be filled with a horrible smell when she returned, especially since she had been so generous – and trusting – by letting him stay here without her.

"Balcony!" Nila said.

"What?" Rina said.

"Go on the balcony!"

"It's _cold _out there! I can't stay there!" Rina protested, snuggling her Slowpoke closely, despite the horrible gases emitting from it.

"The balcony or the Pokéball!" Nila said, rubbing her temples. She was losing her patience. "I want to sleep and I do _not _want to be suffocated. Get out or put it away."

Sighing, Rina returned Wally to its Pokéball. She could always release it again when Nila went to sleep.

"And if you think for one second that I won't notice if you let it out later… You are mistaken," Nila said dangerously, "and you will _pay_."

"Listen to her," Kaida urged. "Do _not _interrupt her sleep. She's crazy."

Nila pulled her sleeping bag over her head. Rina retreated sulkily into her own. Foiled again. It really wasn't fair. Well, at least it had been a good cheese eating day, although now she was craving cookies…

"Kaida," she said, meaning to ask if there were any cookies in the fridge.

"I have a gym match tomorrow!" Kaida shrieked. "Quiet!"

Rina fell silent for another moment and then opened her mouth again. "But…"

Nila growled. Rina quieted. Instead of speech the city sounds filled the room – with slammed doors and cars and distant sirens and alarms – until they had all drifted off into an oblivious sleep.

**-**

It was the day of Kaida's gym battle and she was ready to go. She had already formulated her plan of attack so ate her breakfast without feeling too sick with anxiety. Cyndaquil, Gastly, and Eevee sat beside her, eating from their food bowls. Gastly soon got bored and slithered up to the sleeping Rina, hovering by her face. One scream – and Lick – later and Rina awoke. She ran to the bathroom and shook the door desperately. It refused to open. Then Rina twirled the lock from the outside and entered. There was a great yell from Nila, who had been happily showering, and Rina squeaked and emerged again.

"I didn't see anything!" she said. "There's a shower curtain!"

"I don't care!" Nila's voice was furious. "Get out!"

Gastly seemed to snigger.

The shower seemed to have been ruined for Nila because she came out a few minutes later, enraged and fully dressed. She was rubbing the towel over her wet hair but she threw it at Rina as soon as she saw her.

"Do we have to go to your battle today?" Flo asked, sounding extremely unenthused.

"Well you didn't go to Nila's," Kaida said.

"Because I told them not to," Nila said. "Last thing you need when you are trying to concentrate is those two getting in a poking fight or something."

Neither Rina or Flo protested because, at that very moment, they were proving Nila right about their squabbling. Rina had thrown the towel off her and it had landed on Flo. Flo had thrown it back. This had started a mini slap fight as their hands swatted each other.

"Stop it!" Kaida ordered.

She did not want to have to put up with them today.

"She started it," Flo said childishly.

"Did not," Rina said.

"Did too,"

"Oh _Lugia_," Kaida moaned.

"You did!" Flo said shrilly.

Rina poked her. Flo poked back. Rina poked her again. Flo poked her back again. They soon descended into mad poking and then, once again, slapping each other's hands away. Kaida resisted the urge to scream and instead picked up her bag.

"We're leaving," she said. "Come on, Nila."

"But, breakfast," Nila said. She sighed morosely as Kaida walked out of the door. Going to the gym hungry it was then…

It was a little difficult to navigate and get to the gym but they managed it in the end and were only a few minutes late. Whitney was waiting for them and a small crowd had amassed again. Apparently Nila's lies about her formerly being a man had either not spread or did not faze people.

"I really have to battle now," Whitney said, inching towards the door of the gym room. "Come back later!"

Nila elbowed through the crowd again and Kaida followed her. They went into the room for the fight and Whitney darted in behind them, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"These people sure are strange," she said.

Kaida noticed, in the corner of the room, there was now a small Clefable statue. She pointed it out and Whitney smiled.

"I thought it was cute," Whitney said.

Nila sat behind Kaida with Kaida's Pokémon and her own. She wanted them to gain experience by watching other battles, which was why her Eevee was sat in her lap and watching intensely as Kaida called up Cyndaquil as her first Pokémon. This time Whitney didn't send out her timid Clefairy but, instead, called on Wigglytuff. Kaida hoped this Pokémon wasn't as tough as Miltank or she would have a lot of trouble.

"I just evolved this Pokémon," Whitney said. "It needs some battle experience. Wigglytuff, use Doubleslap!"

"Dodge it, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil was hit by the first two slaps but managed to evade the others, jumping backwards swiftly.

"Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil spun into the flaming ball rolled towards Wigglytuff and a lot of its fire caught Wigglytuff badly on one side. Wigglytuff wailed in pain.

"Wigglytuff, concentrate and use Disable!"

There was a small flash as Wigglytuff screwed up its eyes in concentration and focused on the move. As Cyndaquil tried another Flame Wheel its flame extinguished and it looked around confused.

"You can't use that move anymore, Cyndaquil," Kaida said. "Just use Ember instead!"

"'Quil," Cyndaquil said, firing up its back again. It sent many of those little sparks of fire towards Wigglytuff, who hopped around, desperately trying to avoid the attack.

"Now use Tackle!"

Cyndaquil slammed into Wigglytuff and it crashed to the ground, twitching. Kaida frowned. It was unconscious already. That was a surprise.

"Wigglytuff, return," Whitney said. There was a flash of red as it returned to its Pokéball. "Now," Whitney continued, "Miltank, I choose you!"

Miltank towered above the tiny Cyndaquil, stamping its foot on the ground, ready to start its powerful Rollout attack. Cyndaquil used Ember but Miltank was already rolling, avoiding the attack.

"Cyndaquil, you have to dodge," Kaida ordered.

She watched Cyndaquil dart out of the way of the powerful Pokémon but Miltank's accuracy was scary and it slammed into Cyndaquil the second time it passed it.

"Quick Attack!" Kaida said.

Cyndaquil moved faster, and avoided Miltank's Rollout but, when it slammed into the other Pokémon, it did very little damage. Instead it was hurt by Miltank's spinning mass.

"Try Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil did but the attack was still disabled from Wigglytuff. It switched to Ember and sent flames flying across the room. Miltank was unperturbed and slammed into it yet again. Cyndaquil was severely weakened as the attack grew stronger and stronger. It landed on both feet but trembled.

Finally Miltank dealt the final blow and Cyndaquil crumpled. Kaida scooped her Pokémon up into her arms before returning it to its Pokéball. Poor Cyndaquil. It had done its best. Now, however, it was time to pull out the big guns.

"Go, Gastly!"

Gastly sped from the bench next to Nila to enter the fight. It looked very excited.

"Gastly, use Curse!"

Gastly shimmered as it placed the curse on Miltank. Its health was weakened but it was only a matter of time before the curse claimed Miltank. Rollout wouldn't effect Gastly and, even if it did, Gastly could easily hover above floor level to escape Miltank. Whitney frowned.

"Miltank," she said. "Use Zen Headbutt!"

Kaida had never heard of this attack before but Miltank swelled with power and leapt, slamming into Gastly with a strange psychic force. Gastly wailed and fell, instantly knocked out. Kaida gaped. Miltank… Gastly…

"I win!" Whitney cheered happily. "Well done, Miltank. Well played, Kaida. Sorry, but I've faced ghosts before and a well placed psychic move saves me there."

Kaida couldn't believe she had lost. She felt numb. She returned Gastly to its Pokéball and stood there, watching Whitney retreat into another room with her triumphant Miltank. She had _lost_. Yes, she had lost battles before, but not to a gym leader. She had seen how Whitney had fought. How had she been so naïve to think that Whitney – an experienced gym leader – would have nothing against ghost Pokémon?

"Come on," Nila said. "Let's go."

Kaida's Eevee jumped into her arms and she scarcely managed to catch it. She petted it absently, her mind elsewhere. Miltank had completely crushed Gastly. It was an amazingly strong Pokémon. Yes, Gastly had been weakened from using Curse, but still… It had held its own against Bugsy's Pokémon and even against Falkner's Pidgey.

Had she not trained enough? Had it been awful tactics? It had to be a combination of the two. She sighed as they walked out of the gym. The crowd had dispersed now Whitney wasn't out there but many people were still loitering around.

"Don't look so depressed," Nila said.

"I did just lose," Kaida said, glaring at Nila for her lack of sympathy. She sat down on a low wall next to some steps. She pulled at her hair. Gah. This was so frustrating. She'd lost. She was so stupid.

"Yeah, but moping won't get you anywhere," Nila said logically.

She was right. Moping was useless. Still she couldn't help but be angry at herself. It only fuelled her determination though. She was going to work furiously and beat Whitney. The next time she wouldn't fail.

-

"This is getting quite ridiculous."

They were sitting watching John and Reid train their Pokémon together. Except, Reid's Snorlax was asleep while John's Hoothoot pecked it furiously to no avail. John sighed. Reid also looked bored.

"I don't have any other Pokémon," he said apologetically. "Munchlax was all I needed for contests and fighting. But now it has evolved… I really do need to catch something else."

"When we leave Goldenrod then we can help you find something," John offered.

Reid nodded his thanks.

"Do either of your Slowpoke every battle?" Flo asked Rina, who was daydreaming quite happily.

Rina shook her head.

"Do they do much of anything?" Reid asked.

Rina shook her head again.

Reid scratched the back of his head. "So what do you want to do in life then?"

Rina thought about this quite seriously. She then said, "I was thinking of becoming a Pokémon nurse." She tapped her finger on her chin. "Maybe I should start by helping your Pokémon heal when they get injured."

John paled, imagining the possibilities and the pain that she could inflict on Hoothoot, Totodile, Dunsparce, and Pineco. Well, if she could ever catch Pineco…

"Maybe I should try to train Pineco again," he said. "Hoothoot, get ready to knock this thing out. This thing is such a pain but I really do need to see what moves it knows."

He readied himself to pounce on the Pokémon. Reid braced himself to start running after the pesky Pineco. John released the Pokémon and jumped on it as he attempted to run. He clung on gamely.

"I just want to see what moves you know," John cried. "Come on, Pineco!"

Pineco struggled harder. John tightened his grip.

_Boom_.

Reid, Flo, and Rina all jumped as there was a small explosion. They saw John lying dazed and bruised on the floor with an unconscious Pineco next to him, who was smoking slightly at the edges.

"What was that?" Flo gaped.

"That," Reid said, "was Selfdestruct. Well," he said weakly, "I suppose you found out one move it knows…"

On the ground, John groaned.

A while later and John had recovered enough to sit up, although all his limbs were sore. He turned down a trip to the hospital, claiming he was perfectly fine, and instead sat to watch Flo attempt to battle against Reid, which turned out to be the most ridiculously stupidly boring match in existence. The battle commenced. Snorlax slept. Psyduck watched. Snorlax slept. Psyduck cocked its head to one side.

"Come on, Psyduck," Flo urged. "I've seen you do a really powerful attack. Come on, do it again!"

In response, Psyduck wagged its tail from side to side, performing Tail Whip to lower Snorlax's defence.

"It's not paying attention!" Flo said, exasperatedly. "Besides, without an attacking move, that's completely useless."

Even she knew that.

"This fight is boring," Rina said. "Maybe Magikarp can help!"

She released the Pokémon from its Pokéball, where it flailed helplessly on dry ground. Not, John thought, that it would be much better in the water…

"Magikarp, use Splash!" Rina ordered happily.

Magikarp jerked back and forward uselessly. Snorlax grunted in its sleep. Psyduck continued to look pained and confused. Reid started to laugh.

"If I wanted something that useless, I'd send out Hoppip," Flo said crossly.

She didn't get the reply she was expecting.

"I want a melted cheese toastie," Rina said. "It's lunch time."

"Lunch sounds good," Reid said.

John nodded. "Yeah, I think I can stand…"

He struggled to his feet and began hobbling towards the exit of the training grounds. Rina recalled Magikarp and followed along with Reid. Flo, however, hadn't budged. She was still urging her Psyduck to perform another move.

"No, wait, Psyduck _will _do something," Flo said.

"Yeah, we'll come back after lunch," Reid called, waving her off.

"You're just going to leave Snorlax here?!" Flo called desperately.

"What could possibly happen to it?" Reid shouted back as he disappeared around the corner. John and Rina followed.

Flo bit her lip and yelled, "Psyduck can do some damage!"

She was out of earshot. It was clear that Reid didn't think that Psyduck could deal Snorlax any harm while he was gone. Well she'd show them. Psyduck was powerful. It was!

"Come on, Psyduck," she said. "Just do the move."

Psyduck looked up at her, clueless, one hand on its head.

"Will it help if I poke you?" Flo asked.

Then she thought of Rina's fate and decided not to. She sighed. Still. She could beat Snorlax. Reid was so arrogant to think he could just leave it here…

"Psy?" Psyduck said.

Flo groaned. "Let's go to lunch."

She returned Psyduck to its Pokéball and began to run after the others, calling for them to wait up. Behind her, Snorlax grunted, perhaps at the mention of the word lunch. Then it continued to sleep.

After lunch Reid returned to pick up his Snorlax and then they went to wander around the town. John started to talk about his aspirations in the field of Pokémon research and this gave Reid and idea. They took a shuttle bus to the outer parts of the city and Reid then dragged them along several roads until they found what they were looking for. It was quieter in this part of the city but they could still see the tall, central tower blocks, and some of the noise drifted over.

"Some of Bill's family live here," Reid told him. "I'm friends with his sister and I think he's in town. There was some important meeting at the Pokémon Association and he had to show up in person."

"Pokémon Association?" Flo said.

"Yeah, the rule makers," Reid said. "They do all sorts of stuff like employing gym leaders, saying you should only carry six Pokémon, you know. Bill is a famous researcher and inventor."

John's eyes were shining. "He is one of my idols."

"Really?" Reid said. His plan had worked out well then.

"As well as several of the Pokémon Professors, of course," John added, "but he worked on the technology for the Pokémon Transfer system."

"I'll see if you can meet him," Reid said, knocking sharply on the door to the house.

Bill's sister, a girl a little older than them with dark hair, opened the door and smiled as she saw Reid. Her eye then twitched erratically and Reid laughed.

"You still can't wink," he said.

"Shut up," she muttered. "I'll learn! Anyway, I only saw you the other day. What brings you down here?"

"John wants to be a Pokémon researcher. I was wondering if Bill was around. He could give him some tips or something."

Bill's sister shook her head. "He's still at the Pokémon Association. I don't really know what's going on…" She shrugged. "Anyway, come in. Introduce us."

Reid introduced them to Lucy.

"Bill's a technician really," Lucy said to John. "Not a researcher. Though he does dabble."

"His work is still amazing," John said solemnly. "What a great mind."

"Um, sure," Lucy said. "Milk anyone? It's pretty much all we have."

"No thanks," Reid said, pulling a face.

The others, however, agreed, feeling a little thirsty. Lucy poured them some milk and brought it over. Flo took one sip and spat it out.

"It takes like feet!" she gasped.

John kicked her under the table for her rudeness. She winced.

"Sorry," she apologised.

Lucy was laughing. "Don't worry. It's soya milk. Bill is lactose intolerant."

John drank the milk more gingerly, pulling a face, but Rina seemed perfectly content.

"I like it," she said. "Though it would taste better with cookies."

"Sorry," Lucy said, "no cookies."

Rina sighed despondently.

"I can give you a call," Lucy told Reid. "When Bill has a free moment I'm sure he'd have a talk to John. I dunno. I'm a bit useless with this Pokémon stuff. Clearly he inherited all those genes."

Rina finished off her milk and started on Flo's. Flo cringed in disgust. She still had the foul aftertaste in her mouth. Words could not quite describe how revolting it was. She watched John sip his. How could he stand it?

"Well, don't leave now," Lucy said. "I have video games, snacks, uh, water instead of milk."

Flo reddened a little. She felt bad for being rude and spitting it out but _really_.

They hung out with Lucy for a while longer, mostly watching her smash Reid on the video games. It was pretty impressive. They waited for Bill for a long time at his sister and mother's house but he did not return. John was a little disappointed, but they had had a good day, and Lucy said she could give Reid a call if he popped up with any free time.

"He's really busy though," Lucy continued. "Gym leader issues in Kanto. Koga and Koga's daughter. I don't know. Something about the poison gym anyway."

"Don't worry," John said. He could meet one his idols another time.

"We better go back or Kaida and Nila won't be able to get in the house," Reid said. "Bye."

"I wonder how Kaida did," John mused. "Bye, Lucy."

"Thanks for the milk," Rina said happily.

Flo paled at the remembrance of that horrible taste.

Lucy waved them off and they walked back to get the shuttle back into the city centre where the flat was situated. It was strange, Flo thought, moving in darkness but with a thousand million glowing lights illuminating everywhere around them, blocking out the very stars. Violet City had nothing on this man made jungle. The houses flashed by, growing taller and taller as they reached the centre and then, finally, returned to a despondent scene outside the flat. Kaida had lost but she was soon riling herself up for the rematch.

John made sympathy soup. It did not help.


	22. Chapter 22: emotional gym leaders

**22. Radio tower, emotional gym leaders, and awkward phone calls**

Although Reid's Aunt was away and couldn't give them the in depth tour, he still thought they should visit Radio Tower, although it was a little while before all of them managed to be in one place to go and see it, around Flo's endless shopping, John's attempts with Pineco, Kaida's relentless training for her rematch with Whitney, and Rina… Well, who knew what she got up to when she disappeared?

It was easily one of the largest structures in Goldenrod and was difficult to miss. Even so, they still had some difficulty getting there, as they got lost in the windy streets and endless underground. It didn't help that there were so many shops everywhere and they had to stop at almost every single one they passed, due to the diverse tastes of the six of them. John put his foot down after the fifth crazy clothes shop, telling Flo that she had already purchased an outfit and, really, the neon in the rave shop was hurting his eyes.

"And lycra?!" he added, with a shudder.

"Hey, lycra is OK," Reid said.

They all stared at him.

"You have to wear that sort of stuff for cycling," he protested. "It makes you more streamline and aerodynamic."

"You have a special outfit?!" Flo said excitedly. "Can I customise it?"

"No," Reid said flatly.

Flo deflated sadly. No one let her have any fun.

The radio tower was enormous. When they finally got there they were dwarfed by its enormous structure, staring upwards to where it seemed to pierce the sky with its pointy top. The weather was summery and hot, which was added to by city fumes, but the tower cast a huge, cool shadow, which blocked out much of the sun's rays.

"People can go in on the first floor but the rest is blocked off from the general public."

They entered the building together and saw the floor was very busy. There were several tourist groups, like them, but also workers moving towards the stairs or lifts, flashing their ID to the guards that blocked the entrance. Watching these people was how Kaida became aware of the disturbance across the large room. A boy, perhaps a few years older than them, was struggling against some other guards.

"All I wanted to do was buy some air time," he said furiously, "and I'm treated like this!"

"Come on, kid, we told you to leave," a guard with a handlebar moustache said. "We'll have to throw you out by force!"

"I'm already being thrown out by force!" the boy said. "Do you know who I am?"

The guards looked at each other and laughed. "No."

"Well you should!" the boy snapped. "I'll make this place suffer for this."

Dismissively, they said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, kid."

"Stop calling me kid!"

They dragged him towards the entrance and, curious, Kaida followed. She was sure she recognised this boy from somewhere, but she wasn't sure where or how she could have. The others called her name but she hurried after the guards, disappearing into the crowd. She reached the large sliding doors of the radio tower in time to see the boy being thrown out. He fell to the ground but he didn't let it stop him, as he continued to yell at the guards.

"Don't come back here, kid," the guard with the moustache said.

"This is illegal! I just wanted slots!"

The guards walked back inside and Kaida walked out to see the boy stand up. She could only see the back of his head but he was tall, more built than John, and with short, dark hair. She narrowed her eyes. Where had she seen him before? Why was his voice so familiar? Then she turned and she saw his dark eyes and, although she didn't recognise the face, the voice clicked in her mind. This was the Cyndaquil thief! She couldn't believe it. He was _here_.

He was also leaving.

"Hey!" Kaida yelled, running after him. Cyndaquil had to cling on more tightly to her shoulder as she started to move quickly. "Hey! Come back!"

He walked down one of the many side roads and into an alley. Kaida had to run faster and so Cyndaquil jumped to ground and ran to keep up. In one of these alleys was where Kaida caught up with him.

"Cyndaquil thief!" she said.

He turned and regarded her. He didn't seem to recognise her at first but then he saw her Cyndaquil and it seemed to come back to him.

"You," he said. "I crushed you."

"Crushed!" Kaida bristled. "You didn't crush me! I was a newbie trainer then! I'm loads better now!"

He scoffed. "What do you want anyway?"

"I want you to give the Cyndaquil back!" Kaida said. "They belong to Professor Elm!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh, get over it. They were useless anyway. I only wanted to get revenge for when he turned me down."

"Turned you down?" Kaida said. She frowned. What would Professor Elm had refused him? A Pokémon… A date? The thought made her snigger.

"He refused to give me his breeding research," the boy said. "I need it. I have very important work to do."

"You sound like some sort of criminal," Kaida said. "Well, you are a criminal." She frowned, suddenly suspicious. "Are you a member of Team Rocket?"

The boy exploded. "Team Rocket?! No, I'm _not _a member of that brain dead organisation with useless stooges and half-witted captains!"

"All right," Kaida said, a little taken aback. "Well I still want revenge! You almost lost me my Cyndaquil! You shouldn't have stolen! Until you give them back I'm gonna hunt you down and make sure you pay."

Cyndaquil walked forwards and its flame lit up.

The boy rolled his eyes and said derisively, "I'd like to see you try! Magnemite, go! Use Magnet Bomb!"

Something flew from the steel type Pokémon and exploded onto Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil was thrown backwards with the force but its flame remained strong and it returned the attack with Flame Wheel. Magnemite was badly hurt by the super effective move.

"Use Spark!" the boy said, recognising the ineffectiveness of his previous move.

Magnemite crackled with electricity and slammed into Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil flew backwards, head over heels, but jumped up again and used another Flame Wheel, colliding with Magnemite and dealing much more damage.

"Use Screech!" the boy ordered.

Kaida and Cyndaquil both winced at the high pitched noise and it distracted Cyndaquil enough that the next Spark attack was far more effective. Cyndaquil quickly used Ember in return and caught Magnemite badly. It was weak against the fire moves. It crashed into the wall and then fell to the floor. He returned it to its Pokéball.

"Looks like you haven't trained Magnemite well since I last saw you," Kaida pointed out. "That was easy."

The boy did not look impressed. In fact, he quickly said, "I've got much stronger Pokémon than that. Go, Ur–"

Suddenly something buzzed in his pocket and the boy picked it up. It was his phone. He listened for a few seconds and then cut off.

"I don't have time to deal with you," he said, before breaking into a run.

"Hey!" Kaida said, chasing after him. "Don't run away from me!"

She chased him down the alley but he soon emerged into a road and darted across it while she had to wait for a crowd of young children to walk by. By the time she got across the road she had lost sight of him. She sighed. Another failure. But she couldn't let this get her down either. She would get him back eventually. She looked down at Cyndaquil. She wouldn't let him get away with almost taking her Cyndaquil from her. Thankfully the Pokéball had been dropped but if it hadn't… She didn't even want to imagine life without her Cyndaquil now. Yes, he would definitely pay for what he did.

-

"So do you think it will work?" Kaida asked Nila.

She hadn't changed her tactics much and so was anxious to battle Whitney again. She wanted to go over every possibility. Unfortunately, Nila had now become sick of hearing about it, since she had outlined her plans for the hundredth time, and while she didn't mind helping Kaida train her Pokémon, this was going a bit far.

"You won't know until you try it," Nila said. "Whitney is a tough trainer."

"You beat her."

"Thanks," Nila deadpanned.

Kaida huffed. "I didn't mean it like that! Eevee, use Quick Attack!"

Nila rolled her eyes and ordered her Eevee to use Wish. The attack's effects wouldn't take place immediately but it would be useful later. It was such a handy move. She sometimes wondered what combination of egg moves the trainer had desired for their Pokémon, because between their two Eevee – and Danny's too – they had a few powerful ones.

"Yawn," Kaida ordered.

"I hate it when you do that," Nila muttered. "Eevee, return. Go, Chikorita!"

"Hey, no fair!" Kaida said. "Since when are we using more than one Pokémon?"

"This is a casual fight," Nila replied, "and I don't want to have to wake Eevee up. Chikorita, use Tackle!"

Chikorita was quite a lot stronger than Kaida's Eevee and sent it flying backwards. Kaida frowned and told Nila to quit it. She needed Eevee in tip top shape for the next day and being beaten up by Nila's Chikorita would not help that.

"OK, fine," Nila said, sending her Eevee back out.

"I'm finished now anyway," Kaida said. She scooped her Eevee up and gave it a big hug. "You'll be great, Eevee," she told it. "I know it! Just be brave!"

Eevee ducked its head. It seemed unaccustomed to praise. It was just like Cyndaquil and its bashfulness. It was so cute.

They went back to Reid's and ate the rest of Kaida's brownies and some macaroni cheese that John and Reid had whipped up. Rina wasn't there – no one had seen her all day – which did worry them all a little, but they were sure she would turn up eventually. She had a nasty habit of walking off but seemed to come back all right.

"Ready for your fight tomorrow?" Reid said.

Nila groaned. "Don't get her started."

She mimed slashing her wrists. Kaida glared at her.

"I'm less bloated than last time," Kaida said. "Stupid pie eating contest…"

Reid grinned, remembering his triumph. That had been a good day and a fair bit of money to go towards his bike fund. Plus he'd squashed that stupid girl and her Piloswine again. She was so annoying…

Rina turned up an hour later as the rest of them sat and watched the big screen television with all of their Pokémon, minus Snorlax, who was far too big for the flat. Cyndaquil was snoozing on Kaida's lap with the two Eevee next to her, cuddled up together. Totodile had started to chew on the arm of the sofa until Reid had realised and exploded that his Aunt was going to kill him. Totodile was still restless since then and had been nudging Chikorita, who looked ready to snap. Rina said something about frying non-melting cheese, but she was speaking so fast it sounded like gibberish and nobody could really get a sense of what she was saying.

"We better get some sleep then," Reid said. "Early start tomorrow."

Flo complained for a bit but Kaida gave her an evil death glare and she decided she didn't want a microwave thrown at her and shut up. When Flo kept rolling around restlessly in the living room, Kaida thumped her. _Hard_.

The next morning Nila was already up and showered by the time that Kaida awoke but, other than that, Kaida was the first one up. Nila offered to make breakfast but Kaida turned her down. Who knew what Nila would come up with? It was quite a frightening thought…

Whitney wasn't waiting for them in the hallway when they reached the gym, and there was a smaller crowd than usual, but she was in the actual match room when they went inside. She smiled at them as they entered. Kaida saw that, behind her, where there had been one statue, there were now about thirty lining the walls. She frowned and Whitney glanced in the direction she was looking.

"Oh," Whitney said, a little bashfully. "It seems someone heard I liked the Clefable statue and now _everyone_ is bringing me this stuff." She smiled. "It _is _adorable though."

There were Jigglypuff and Clefairy and Miltank and Meowth… They weren't as cute as fire Pokémon statues would be, Kaida thought, before being distracted by the daisy chains around their necks.

"I also added some flower decorations," Whitney said, cupping her cheeks with her hands. "It's adorable!" she squealed. "My best friend is a florist so I got some from her shop. Aren't they sweet? I should add some plant pots to this gym."

One mention of that to her admirers and there would be about a hundred plant pots by the next day, Kaida reckoned.

"So, battling," she said, trying to draw Whitney's attention back to the reason they were there.

Whitney snapped out of her cooing mode in an instant. "Let's go then," she said. "Prepare to lose again! Go, Clefairy!"

Clefairy walked forwards, hesitating briefly as it glanced back at its trainer.

"Come on, Clefairy, we talked about this!" Whitney said.

Clefairy, Kaida noted. That was better than Wigglytuff, because it seemed to scare easily, although there was the unpredictability of Metronome to consider. She sent Eevee forward.

"Eevee, use Tackle!"

While Clefairy started to use its Metronome attack, Eevee tackled it. It squealed but continued to attack, using what appearing to be Poison Sting. Eevee was hit but, fortunately, not poisoned. It was a near miss.

"Use Yawn!"

Clefairy's eyelids began to droop but it used Metronome again. This time it used Captivate, but it had no effect because both of the Pokémon were female. After this attack it fell to the floor and Eevee tackled it again. Clefairy continued to snooze. Finally it woke up with a small cry and, once again, it ran to hide behind Whitney, refusing to battle anymore.

That was one weird Pokémon, Kaida thought. She didn't think she'd seen anything so wimpy, with the exception of Flo in a cave.

"Don't worry, Clefairy," Whitney said. "You did quite well this time."

Kaida quirked her eyebrow. If that was doing well…

"Now, Miltank, go!"

"Quick, Eevee, use Charm!"

Eevee looked at the other Pokémon cutely, lowering Miltank's attack.

"Miltank, Rollout!"

"Yawn!"

Eevee managed to use the attack just before it went flying backwards due to the force of Miltank's attack. It scrambled to its feet and used another Charm, further lowering the attack of Miltank. Then Miltank began to slow its Rollout attack due to drowsiness. Eventually it flopped on the floor, asleep, while Eevee continued to lower its attack with its Charm.

"Heal Bell, Miltank!"

Miltank glowed and woke up as chiming filled the air. Eevee was still using Charm as Miltank started its Rollout again. Eevee dodged as it could as it continued to use the attack. Finally, when Miltank's attack wouldn't lower any more, Eevee resorted to using Yawn again, using Quick Attack on the sleeping Miltank before it woke up. Then, finally, Eevee succumbed to Miltank's Rollout and fainted. Kaida returned it to its Pokéball gratefully. It had paved the way for her next Pokémon.

"Go, Gastly!" she cried.

"Gastly again?" Whitney said. "After what happened last time?"

"Gastly, use Confuse Ray!" Kaida ordered.

This was her secret weapon and what Gastly had been learning in the intermission between her battles with Whitney. Miltank couldn't Heal Bell out of this status change. It wobbled around uncertainly and, when it attempted to use Zen Headbutt it went speeding into Clefairy and then the wall. Both Clefairy and Miltank ended up quite dazed.

"Curse, Gastly," Kaida ordered.

She just hoped it would be enough. Miltank's attack had been lowered so its Rollout and Zen Headbutt wouldn't be as effective and, now, Gastly knew Confuse Ray. Hopefully it could keep Miltank in enough confusion that it wouldn't be able to attack and Gastly could dodge the other attacks.

"Gastly, Sucker Punch," she ordered.

While ghost moves did not have any effect on normal Pokémon, this was a dark move and it did. It would add to the damage caused by confusion and Zen Headbutt.

"Now, move higher," Kaida said.

Miltank seemed to snap out of its confusion finally and it attempted a Zen Headbutt. Gastly dodged and used Confuse Ray again. Miltank wobbled around uncertainly but managed to perform the move again. This time it hit but, thanks to Charm, it wasn't a wipe out. Still, Gastly's health was running dangerously low but, this time, so was Miltank's. Things were looking much better.

Miltank snapped out of confusion again but Gastly quite easily evaded its other attacks. It was getting tired, probably unused to performing the move when it normally would use Rollout, and its health was getting lower and lower thanks to Curse and hurting itself in its confusion.

"Come on, Gastly," Kaida said. "Just a little more. Confuse Ray again!"

Miltank face planted into the floor when it tried to use Zen Headbutt again. The Curse finished it off and it did not stand up. Kaida blinked disbelievingly for a few seconds. Then she shrieked. She had won! Yes! Yes!

She looked at Whitney and, to her surprise, and Nila's utmost horror, the pink haired woman had started to cry.

"Er," she said awkwardly.

"I can't believe it!" Whitney sobbed. "Lost _again_! So many times recently…"

"Er," Kaida said again.

Nila, the traitor, was moving closer and closer to the exit, preparing to slip away to avoid the uncomfortable situation. Kaida glared at her but Nila's fear of tears far outweighed her fear of Kaida's glare.

"Don't worry," Kaida said.

She walked over to Whitney and patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Um," she said. "See, you're a gym leader," she tried, "and, er, lots of people talk about you. They know all your moves. You don't know theirs. It gives them an advantage. Maybe you, um, need to work on surprising people? Not just Rollout? I mean, everyone tells each other about that. They have an unfair advantage."

Whitney sniffled. "You think so?"

"Sure," Kaida said, wondering if she was ever going to get her badge.

"Oh, thanks," Whitney said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're really nice. Here." She fumbled in her pocket and brought out a small object. "The Plain Badge." She sniffled again but didn't lapse back into tears to Kaida's immense relief. She wanted to _leave_. "Well, thanks for the match. Good work."

"Um, thanks," Kaida said, slipping away, "and, uh, don't worry. You're a really great trainer."

She left the gym and came face to face with Nila.

"Fun?" Nila said.

"Traitor," Kaida groused.

"Crying people," Nila said, shuddering. "They're awful."

"You could have helped!"

"Why?" Nila said. "You had it under control."

"Not really! That was weird. She's a grown woman."

"Criers," Nila said solemnly. "Anyway, you less depressed now?"

Kaida grinned. "Of course! The Plain Badge! Three down, five to go! Gastly was _awesome. _So was Eevee! I guess brute force just wasn't going to work there."

Cyndaquil was on the ground, looking up at her expectantly. She picked it up and gave it a tight hug. She hoped it wasn't _too _upset that she hadn't used it in the fight but she had explained the situation. It seemed to be OK.

"You'll toast them next time, Cyndaquil," she promised. "That Miltank was _mean_."

Cyndaquil happily snuggled into her on her shoulder. It wasn't too offended then.

"Now let's go celebrate," Kaida said.

"Pie?" Nila said.

Kaida blanched as she was reminded of the pie eating contest. "Great. Now I think I might be sick…"

-

Kaida preferred using Reid's Aunt's computer to call her mother, seeing as the Pokémon Centre computers did not lend to much privacy. She pulled up the video conversation on large screen and she and Nila watched her mother flit around the kitchen, presumably baking up something else mildly poisonous.

"Sometimes I do wonder if you are her illegitimate child," Kaida said to Nila. "You share the same deadly cooking."

"It would mean you were adopted," Nila said, "since we were born a week apart. You definitely weren't adopted. The resemblance to your grandmother is uncanny! Ow!" Kaida had slapped her across the head. "See what I mean! You just proved my point." She dodged another slap.

"I'm so glad you've been so successful," Jane said happily. "I have to admit I was a little worried…"

"Thanks, Mum!" Kaida exclaimed.

"Well a lot of trainers _do _wash out!"

"Mum!" Kaida said crossly.

"Sorry, dear, but it is true." She beamed. "I'm so happy it hasn't happened to you. And you too, Nila. How is Chikorita doing? Still finding that move I taught it useful?"

"Yeah, thanks," Nila said.

"That reminds me," Jane said. "Your mother wanted me to give you a message about lacy underwear?"

Nila's head thumped into the keyboard. Did her mother not understand _any _social conventions? Did she really have no tact or shame _at all_?

"They are _not_ my underwear," Nila said, remembering the mystery pair.

"Well, Connor says they aren't his…"

"They aren't his either!"

"He also said it isn't from a girlfriend so your mother just wanted to tell you not to be ashamed of experimentation. At such a young age it is natural to want to try different things out…"

"Mother!" Kaida exploded.

Nila smacked her head into the keyboard a few more times.

"Tell my mother that I'm twelve! I'm not _experimenting _with anyone! Honestly!"

"Well, just in case," Jane said cheerfully. "She also told me to spread the message of safe sex. You may think babies are cute now…"

"Trust me," Nila said through gritted teeth, "I don't."

"And sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise!"

Kaida joined Nila in bashing her head on the keyboard. It was like something in the air in New Bark had warped their mothers' minds. Every year they grew crazier and more alike. It was beyond disturbing and certainly beyond embarrassing.

There was a sudden interruption and, while Kaida and Nila would have normally been glad, the face that appeared on the screen filled them with so much fear and dread that they found themselves wishing that Kaida's mother would return to talk about applications of condoms. Anything but this… Nila ducked down so she was not visible to the camera. _Traitor,_ Kaida thought again, pinching Nila's side sharply in revenge.

"There you are!" Margaret screeched. "Where are you? I sent you down to get me some more tea an hour ago, you incompetent fool!"

"What?!" Kaida said, confounded. "No, you didn't! I've been gone _weeks_. Months!"

"Don't lie to me!" Margaret said, shaking her walking stick.

Kaida was very glad there was a computer screen separating them to save her from a nasty smack.

"But," she tried.

"Don't give me lip, missy!" Margaret screeched. "Get back here and put the pot on! Your poor, disabled grandmother, waiting helplessly in bed upstairs..."

"Somehow you managed to get downstairs just fine," Kaida muttered.

Flo popped up by her side. She had heard the shouting. "What's going on?"

"What on _earth_ is that?!" Margaret shrieked. "It's hideous!"

Kaida glanced at Flo. She was wearing one of her worst outfits. She snickered. When Margaret's attention was not focused on her, she could actually be quite amusing.

"That _thing _looks like a cheese topped brussel sprout!"

"Hey!" Flo said indignantly.

"Cheese?!" Rina said, scurrying over. "You have cheese?!"

Suddenly Margaret was moved to the side as Jane forced her way through.

"I forgot to ask, honey," Jane said. "I hope you've been cleaning all your nice underwear. I know how dirty teenagers can be…"

"Of course I clean my underwear!" Kaida said, feeling her face redden furiously.

"Just saying," Jane said. "And you might need to buy some more. A growing girl like you–" at this point Nila snorted at the idea that Kaida was growing and Kaida kicked her in retaliation "–will soon be bursting out of those training bras or whatever you have now."

"Oh," Flo said smugly, "she bought some new bras all right. All to impress Matt."

Kaida glared. Flo just didn't get the hint! What was she going to have to throw at her this time as punishment?! Another dustbin? A car? The whole Radio Tower?!

"Ooh, Matt," Jane said to Kaida "Is this a booooy?! Tell me everything, sweetheart."

"Oh, I can," Flo said, oblivious to Kaida's growing rage.

"Oh, no," Kaida said, kicking the table so it shook and the camera was jostled. "We're losing connection! Bye mother!"

She turned the computer off and swivelled on the chair to glare at Flo.

"You are _dead_," she hissed.

Flo eeped and ran.

-

The sky was pale as the sun rose weakly over the horizon as they left Goldenrod. It was a strangely cool day, marked by Flo's decision to don a puffy grey jacket over her usual attire – including her plum hoodie that made Nila snigger – and Rina's decision to wear a different hoodie to normal. This one was far too big for her and was worn and faded. It apparently belonged to her brother.

"So you travel around and battle a bit with each other?" Reid said.

"Sometimes other trainers we meet too," Kaida said.

"Yeah, you can join in," Flo said excitedly.

Reid raised his eyebrows. Flo deflated slightly.

"I need new Pokémon," Reid said. "Snorlax is great for eating and sleeping, but anything else… Kind of useless."

They had left Goldenrod City to give them enough time to get to National Park in time for the annual bug Pokémon celebration. While there were contests all year, the summer event combined all of these together – and more – in one day. It would take two days walking and camping to be able to get up and there in the morning of the third day. That meant no detours and a quick pace. John was not willing to miss the bug contest and started to get snappy about anyone slacking.

The main route was filled with long grass and crops of trees and it was a little hilly but, for the most part, it was open. They saw glimpses of various Pokémon as they went along, including flocks of Pidgey and herds of Nidoran, but none of them took Reid's fancy.

They stopped for the night later than usual and started to make camp while Reid made scrambled eggs in a pot over the fire. John seemed quite happy with this arrangement.

"It's nice to not have to do all the cooking," John said, eying the girls.

Flo and Kaida looked a little sheepish but Kaida soon recovered.

"Hey, I make brownies for you!"

"I can always cook if you like," Nila said. There was an evil glint in her eyes.

John backtracked. "Uh, never mind, I love to cook!"

They were dishing up the scrambled eggs on toast when they realised that Rina had disappeared again. After giving her a call, and receiving no answer as her phone went to her chirpy voicemail, they all started to worry a little.

"Should we go look for her?" Reid asked.

"Um, maybe," John said.

While Rina disappeared, it wasn't often at night. This was probably because she was still scared of the man eating bugs that she had been told about while they were in Ilex Forest.

"The eggs will get cold though," Nila said.

"It did take me a while to make them," Reid said. "So we'll eat up quickly and then go find her?"

They all nodded and quickly ate their eggs. Flo didn't seem too accustomed to eating quickly because she managed to spill eggs all down her grey jacket. A few splodges even landed on Togepi's head as it ate its Pokéchow.

After they all had finished it was decided that Flo and Reid would stay behind to guard their belongings ("Although I'm not sure what help I'll be," Reid said, prompting John to lend him Totodile) while the others went to hunt for Rina. John and Hoothoot decided to sweep the path behind them while Kaida and Nila walked in different directions ahead, planning to loop round and meet up with each other.

Kaida walked through grass that came up to her knees as she went east of their camp. There were trees in the distance and a few scattered bushes along the way. Apart from that, and the curve of the low hills, there wasn't really much cover. As Kaida walked by some of these bushes she heard a strange rustling sound. Curious, she peered into the bush and then leapt back as a Growlithe leapt out, roaring wildly. Cyndaquil whimpered slightly at the harsh sound but was quick to jump from Kaida's shoulder and fire up its flame to defend its trainer.

"Wow," Kaida said. "A Growlithe! So cool! Cyndaquil! Use Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil was getting quicker and quicker with the fiery attack and it slammed into Growlithe speedily, throwing the other Pokémon backwards. However, the fire attack didn't seem to have much effect on Growlithe, who drew itself up fiercely and sent a small shudder through Cyndaquil. Intimidated, but not overwhelmed by this, Cyndaquil used Quick Attack next. Growlithe responded with Fire Fang, grabbing Cyndaquil roughly before tossing it aside.

Cyndaquil leapt back up but was slammed into strongly by Growlithe, in a move that was so strong it seemed to harm Growlithe too. That had to be Take Down. Next Growlithe used another biting move: Crunch. Cyndaquil dodged the attack and sent Ember flying back at it. Growlithe countered with a strong jet of fire. That was Flamethrower! It was one of the best fire moves for both accuracy and strength. Cyndaquil was overwhelmed. However, as Growlithe lunged for another Fire Fang attack, Cyndaquil opened its mouth and responded with a jet of flames that was equally powerful. It had learnt Flamethrower too! It took the opportunity, while Growlithe was surprised, to land another Quick Attack.

Growlithe fell over but it wasn't nearly done. Its body shimmered as it used Agility to speed up. Cyndaquil responded by spraying star-shaped rays to hit the speeding Pokémon, a move that it had recently learnt from Nila's Sandslash. Kaida was impressed. Cyndaquil grew more powerful by the day.

This struck Growlithe down again and, since it was taking a little longer to get up, Kaida threw the Pokéball. She waited expectantly but, to her annoyance, Growlithe burst out of the Pokéball and took off running. Kaida scooped up the Pokéball and she and Cyndaquil pursued it.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," she puffed. "Flamethrower its butt!"

Cyndaquil leapt onto her shoulder and then off again. From here it had the right angle to deal with Growlithe and it opened its mouth to let forth the powerful jet of flame. Growlithe was slowed down and Cyndaquil used another Quick Attack to weaken it further. Kaida tried the Pokéball again, watching it anxiously as it enveloped Growlithe and began to shake violently and flash. She crossed her fingers. After what seemed like an age, the Pokéball finally stilled. She scooped it up and then grabbed Cyndaquil.

"You were amazing!" she said happily. "Well done!"

It was then that Kaida noticed her pocket was vibrating. She pulled out her phone and saw she had five missed calls. Clearly she hadn't noticed it going off while she had been battling Growlithe. It was John. She answered it.

"Are you OK?" John asked. "You weren't answering."

"Um, I was chasing a Growlithe," Kaida said. "Didn't notice you were calling. You?"

"I found Rina. She was _asleep_. She claimed it was a Jigglypuff and at first I didn't believe her and just thought she'd stopped and went for a nap…"

Kaida laughed. It did seem like something Rina would do.

"…But then Flo mentioned that Jigglypuff that she insulted stalking us. Anyway, Nila just got back. You should head back too. We have a long way to walk tomorrow."

"Yeah, just coming," Kaida said. "Bye!"

She hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. She clipped the Pokéball with her new Growlithe to her belt. Finally she had caught her first fire Pokémon. Although there were many more to go, it was a definite start!

Not even Rina complaining about missing socks could get her down.


	23. Chapter 23: bug catching fun

**23. Bug catching fun**

It was eleven o'clock when the group reached the National Park and John was already on his fourth apple of the day out of excitement for the contest. Kaida was still happily smiling and dancing around from catching her new Growlithe. The others were less entertained.

The entrance was a large white building covered in paintings of various bug Pokémon, which Flo shuddered at: she was not looking forward to spending the rest of the day catching and looking at bugs. When they entered they noticed a large group of people bustling around a large billboard while a line of people were waiting to be registered. John left the group to go get registered for some of the events. Unfortunately, they had arrived too late for the battles as the final was being announced on the huge screens in the entrance hall, which Flo and Rina had gone to watch out of boredom. Reid had picked up a guide at the door and was discussing the events with Kaida and Nila. As John was registering then, it meant he could enter the "Best of Bug" show, the "guess the berry" contest, and the finale of the afternoon, the bug catching contest.

"Looks like John will be in heaven." Nila sighed, bored of the idea of watching bugs all day.

"Kaida!" Flo screamed at the top of her lungs running over to her.

"Oh, Lugia, what have I meant to have done this time," Kaida muttered at the other two before turning round just as Flo collided with her.

"Ooof." Flo gasped but quickly regained herself. "Matt's on the telly!" she blurted out, looking quite smug at the look of confusion on Kaida's face.

"What are you on about?" Kaida scrunched up her face in confusion, holding Cyndaquil back into place on her shoulder.

"Look" Flo pointed toward the TV screen and, low and behold, she was right. A large pixelated version of Matt was in mid battle on the screen.

"Oh my Lugia!"

Kaida raced out of the entrance hall and out into the park, scanning quickly for the battle field. She saw a large group to her right and tore towards them. Cyndaquil had been smart and leapt off her shoulder so it could run along beside her. Kaida could hear Rina puffing behind her and guessed that everyone else had decided to follow her. She pushed as she got into the crowd and managed to get to the front behind Matt and was soon joined by Nila on her right and Flo on her left, thanks to more work from Nila's pointy elbows.

Matt looked so impressive in battle: his smouldering good looks made Kaida feel faint but she managed to pull herself together before she tripped over onto the battlefield because Flo would never let her live it down if she did. Matt was fighting with his Ariados against a bug catcher and his Beedrill.

"He isn't a half bad trainer," Nila complimented, as Matt shouted at Ariados to used Spider Web.

"He's amazing," Kaida whispered to herself as she gazed wistfully at him.

She didn't realise she had said it aloud until Flo grabbed her in a hug.

"Awww. Our baby is in love," she cooed.

"Ahh, get off me!" Kaida struggled against Flo's tight grip. "I'm not in love, all right?!" She managed to throw Flo's arms from her but Flo still smiled.

"Whatever you say."

"The match, and the contest, goes to Matt and Ariados," a man shouted across the field.

The crowd erupted into applause as Matt called back Ariados, congratulating it on its impressive winning streak.

"Now run to your prince Kaida," Flo squealed, clapping along.

"Do you have a death wish?" Kaida snapped. If glares could kill then Kaida's would have killed an entire city

"Kaida?" a voice questioned.

Kaida whipped around to see Matt gazing at her, presumably trying figure out if she was actually there. A few seconds later, as he recognised her, a huge heart-melting smile appeared on his face. _Must not fall over, _Kaida thought, _or_ _I will make a fool out of myself... Again._

"Kaida, I thought it was you." He strolled over with what Kaida believed to be the sexiest walk ever to exist.

"Speak. Words. Now." Flo elbowed her.

"Huh, what, yeah, it's me. I mean I'm me, well, of course I'm me and, well, yeah."

"When I said speak I meant in normal sentences," Flo added.

Kaida glared at her: so much for not embarrassing herself.

"Umm. OK." Matt looked puzzled by her odd behaviour. "Hey, Nila and Flo, hope you don't think I'm rude."

"Not at all Matty." Flo grinned, shaking his hand excitedly, whereas Nila just nodded acknowledgement and gave him a pity look as Flo was still shaking his hand.

"You can let go now." Nila grabbed the small girl's arm and yanked it off the unfortunate boy. Flo was unfazed by the awkward social situation and continued to smile.

"I'll take her away now." Nila rolled her eyes at the odd smiling girl and pulled her back through the crowd to find John and Reid.

"Bye Matty," she called, waving in what she thought was a cutsie way. Matt waved back, still looking confused. It was clear that he really didn't understand Flo.

"So how have you been?" Matt focused back to Kaida. "How are you, little Cyndaquil?"

He tickled Cyndaquil's chin. It had taken its proud place back on Kaida's shoulder. It squealed happily at the attention.

"Yeah, we are fine," she grinned. "I caught a Growlithe the other day. Want to see?"

"Of course," Matt said, pulling Kaida through the crowd to a private corner of the park.

"Out you come, Growlithe." Kaida threw the pokeball in the air and, in a matter of seconds, Growlithe had appeared in front of her looking a little confused to where it was, but still looking as cute as it had been when she had caught it.

"Wow, I'm impressed. It looks strong." Matt threw his own pokeball. "Come meet Kaida's Growlithe. It might give you a run for your money."

Matt's Growlithe appeared at his feet. It barked happily at its owner before spotting Kaida's Growlithe.

"Hellooo again!" Flo jumped onto Kadia's back, grinning widely.

"Oh, Lugia, it's you again." Kaida growled.

Yet again Flo had ruined her private Matt time. She would pay for this. How had she even escaped Nila? Doubtless Nila had found some milk and was distracted. Flo jumped off Kaida's back and then began to dance a weird jig.

"Are you planning to have babies?" she smiled wickedly.

"WHAT?!" Kaida screamed. How embarrassing could Flo get? How could she say that in front of a guy she hardly knew? It was like saying, "Excuse me, sir, but would you like to procreate with my friend?" Only Nila would have the bottle to say things like that, but that was besides the point.

"I meant your Growlithe" Flo giggled.

"It's true. My Growlithe is female and yours is a male," Matt interjected, stroking both the Growlithe.

"Aww. They could get married and have babies," Flo cooed at the two Growlithe who were edging towards Matt for safety from the crazy girl.

Kaida sighed. Ahh to be married to Matt. It would be heaven. She could run her fingers through his wonderfully soft looking hair and do other stuff, of course, which would help with the baby part... That could wait until they were older though.

"Earth to Kaida." Flo popped up in front of her face, causing Kaida to jump back in surprise. "Let's go find the others. Matt hasn't met Reid or Rina yet."

"Do we have to show him Rina?" Kaida pleaded.

"You know she will find him sooner or later," Flo said knowingly

"All right, you win." Kaida and Matt returned their Growlithe and followed Flo side by side, much to Kaida's pleasure, across the park to find the rest of the group.

-

When the pair got to the group, Flo was already explaining something to Reid and Flo that Kaida was sure would be something a long the lines of "Kaida loves Matt so we must force them together and make her feel so embarrassed that she prays to be swallowed by Snorlax." Yes, it was definitely something along those lines...

"Hi, everyone." Kaida shouted nervously to the group, as Flo turned around with such a grin on her enough to give Nila's hyper face a run for its money.

"Umm, John, you remember Matt."

John nodded his head and moved forward to give Matt a hand shake. Kaida could tell he was itching to ask Matt about the contests and examine the medal around his neck that he had won from his battling.

"Reid, Rina, this is Matt."

Matt in turn shook their hands, though Rina was a bit unsure as to human contact. She stared at his hand as if he was an alien for a few moments before finally taking it.

"He's my..."

"Boyfriend, lover, future husband," Flo hissed in her ear, earning her another death glare. Unfortunately it looked as if she was getting immune to them.

"Friend," Kaida said loudly, causing Nila to snigger into the bug contest leaflet.

Kaida knew better to waste a death glare on her. It would only work about once a month and she would probably need to save it for another more important occasion. Not, of course, that this situation wasn't turning out to be one of the most humiliating of her life. Well, except for the rock. Plus the bras and Flo's hearts at the shopping centre. Come to think of it, a lot her most embarrassing moments seemed to happen around Matt. Fate and karma were obviously conspiring against her.

"So, Matt, what contests have you entered?" John pressed, ignoring the fact Kaida was now glaring at him for trying to steal Matt from her. To him, it didn't seem like they could win. After all, she glared at them for being embarrassing, she would glare at them for being horrible, and now she was glaring at them for being nice… _Women, _he thought.

Kaida, on the other hand, was sulking. _Good Lugia, do my death glares mean nothing to these people anymore?_

"Well, the battle contest, obviously." Matt chuckled, playing with his medal absentmindedly while he continued. "Ariados is gonna be up for Best of Bug show. Then there the bug catching contest. Everyone should enter that. It should be an awesome day."

"Same here. I can't wait to begin." John grinned excitedly about how a day surrounded by bugs would be awesome. Flo didn't know: it sounded more like hell to her. Rina also agreed. She wondered if the man eating bugs would be in the contest too.

"And, of course, the free food is always good." Matt laughed, but Reid's eyes lit up.

"Free food you say… And where is this?"

"Over there." Matt pointed to a large white tent where people were coming out with pastries and salads to sit on the tables. "It's all you can eat. They have everything. It's amazing. The pancakes are particularly good today. I recommend you try some."

"If you insist." Reid grinned menacingly. "See you suckers later." He raced off towards the tent, dodging round two large ladies with cream teas like a pro. He was muttering, "All you can eat. Noobs. It's always a mistake to offer that…"

"Well, that's two people in heaven." Nila looked up amused as she gave John back his leaflet.

"Don't you mean three." Flo wiggled her eyebrows at Matt and Kaida, who were in deep conversation about her tough battle with Whitney's Miltank. Matt had apparently trapped it with Spider Web when he had beaten her quite some time ago. "Aahh, young love," she sighed, twirling on the spot, and then making a heart shape at them. Nila swatted her with the back of her hand.

"Leave her be unless you want another bin thrown at you."

Flo cringed at the thought and lowered her hands.

"Where's Rina?" Kaida called over, looking confused as she stood on tip top to see if she could see more over the crowds. It didn't help much. She was far too short for it to make any difference.

"Dunno." Nila shrugged. "Maybe she followed Reid towards the food. You know the thought of cheese will get her moving. Strange girl."

She wrinkled her nose: who would want cheese when they could have milk?

"Fair point," John agreed. "It's almost time for the best of bug show. We better get over there"

"Who are you entering by the way?" Matt asked, pulling Ariados's ball from his belt.

"Pineco. I got him thanks to Kaida's hard head." John winked at Kaida.

She asked herself whether John really thought this would help to get Matt to like her because, if she was Matt, she would think that Kaida was a nut job who now liked to head butt trees for a laugh. However, Matt laughed.

"You're a special one, aren't you, Kaida?"

Wait. Was that an insult or a compliment? Then Matt threw an arm over her shoulder. _Wooo compliment,_ her head screamed.

"So what is Pineco like then?" Matt tossed his pokeball up into the air and Ariados appeared.

John bit his lip. Well…

"Fast," Kaida butted in quickly.

"That's an understatement," Nila muttered.

As the five walked off they didn't see a sleeping Rina being pulled slowly into a large cluster of bushes with a sinister giggle of, "Jiggly!"

-

Flo, Kaida and Nila had managed to snag themselves front row seats to the Best in Bug contest. The contest worked by testing a certain Pokémon in different ways such as defence, speed, and even colour. Matt was chatting to five other teenagers and their Ariados while John held on tightly to Pineco, ignoring the seven other people in his group who were praising and cleaning their Pineco.

"Fingers crossed it doesn't explode this time." Flo crossed her fingers and held them up so John could see.

"You never know… Some of these bug enthusiasts might enjoy getting blown up." Nila stood up and patted down her top. "I'm going to get some milk," she stated, before strolling towards the tent.

"Bring me foooood," Kaida whined, knowing that if she did Nila would give her food just to shut her up.

"Soooo," Flo started.

"Don't even go there." Kaida folded her arms in annoyance and leaned back against the wooden bench.

"What! I didn't say anything!" Flo dramatically gasped.

"No, but I knew what you were thinking!"

"And what was that then?" Flo smirked at the furious look on Kaida's face "Now remember… You can't hurt me. Matty is watching you."

"Damnit" Kaida pouted. There were draw backs to having Matt around. Not expressing her inner rage was definitely one of them.

"Are you upsetting the dragon again?" Nila asked, bemused, as she handed a grumpy Kaida a plate of little cakes and tarts.

"I wish you'd never looked up what my name means." Kaida stuffed an iced bun into her mouth huffily.

"Aww don't be mad, my little dragon" Nila sniggered.

"How much happy milk have you had?" Kaida looked at Nila suspiciously.

"Enough to get me through the day," she answered.

"So a whole cow then."

Nila glared at her but she didn't deny it.

Half an hour later Rina appeared beside them, looking confused with bits of bushes and trees sticking out of her hair.

"My socks are gone again," she wailed. "My cool multi coloured stripy ones!"

She looked to Kaida for sympathy, but Kaida misinterpreted the look as a "give me your last iced bun" look, so she moved her plate closer to her chest and began to munch very fast.

"Did you even put on socks this morning?" Nila asked, annoyed at the whining child that had upset her peace.

Yes, she was out of milk.

"Of course I did. I'm not an idiot."

Rina waved her arms in fury which made her looking like a crazy Spearow.

Nila sighed. "Just sit down and shut up."

Nila proceeded to kick Rina's legs out from beneath her so Rina ended up in a heap on the floor.

John watched them from afar in despair.

"Can't take them anywhere," he muttered to Matt, who had come to join him after his Ariados had been judged. Matt had come in third out of five people, which he was happy with as, after all, he pointed out that some of the bug trainers were so dedicated to their bugs that it was only right that they should win.

"Well, Kaida and Nila are OK." Matt smiled, watching Kaida stuff the last piece of bun into her mouth and then pull a smug, taunting face at Flo. "But Flo and Rina are a bit odd aren't they?"

"You get used to them after awhile." John shrugged, letting the judge prod his Pineco while praying that it wouldn't explode.

"Why does she keep doing the good luck symbol at me? I'm not doing anything and neither is Kaida come to that…" Matt looked deeply confused as he watched Flo making a heart at Kaida, who batted it away with one swift slap.

"Good luck? Oh good grief," John muttered, shaking his head as he followed Matt's eyes to the problem.

"The winner of the beauty contest is…." The judge started.

"How can you call a Pineco beautiful?" Matt pondered aloud, earning him a glare from the bug catcher next to him. "No offence," he smiled nervously.

"David's Pineco," the judge finished, causing the crowd to roar with happiness.

"What? Who won?" Flo looked at each Pineco puzzled.

"The shiny one on the end." Kaida pointed to the browny-gold Pineco that was being held in the air by its trainer.

"But it looks boring like a pinecone." Flo whined pulling Kaida's top.

"Well, apparently these people like boring." Nila stroked her Eevee on her lap in deep thought. "John doesn't need to win all the categories to win overall."

"Next category is the defence category," The judge called out one of his own Pokémon, a Bulbasaur. "I will fire Razor Leaf at all of you. The one who sustains the least damage at the end of two minutes wins."

"You have practiced Protect with Pineco right?" Matt asked, seeing the rest of the Pineco on the floor while John's still remained in his arms.

"Well, urm, it never came up." John rubbed his head, embarrassed, one arm still firmly wrapped around Pineco.

"What do you mean it never came up?!" Matt hissed. "Haven't you ever battled with him?"

"Well yeah, but normally he runs away before we can actually battle."

Matt gaped at him open mouthed. " You entered an untrained Pineco into this competition!" John nodded, feeling increasingly embarrassed. "You are either very brave or very stupid."

"Well, as I'm not like Rina, I'm going to go with brave."

"Good luck. Do you want me to get ready to catch?" Matt chuckled.

John, who was now halfway to putting his Pinceo on the floor, glared at him in annoyance.

"Just like Kaida," he whispered.

"What was that?" Matt knelt down looking bemused.

"Nothing." John sniggered as Matt got back to his feet.

"Five seconds, contestants," the judge called.

"Damn it! OK, Pineco, I know you don't like to sit still but can you please, _please_, just grant me this favour for once."

Pineco looked up at John, perplexed about what was being asked of it.

"Contestants ready!" the judge called through the megaphone, sending Bulbasaur forward.

"Ready!" the seven other contestants answered.

"Oh, great Entei, help me!" John released Pineco from his grip and ran back to where Matt stood on the contestant line. Pineco looked confused as to why John had let it go and turned to look at him.

"No, don't look at me, use protect!" John waved his arms hysterically.

"What is John doing?" Rina asked, trying to imitate his arm movements.

"Who knows?" Reid appeared behind them with a mountain of food on his plate. "Scoot along girlies." Reid wiggled in-between Kaida and Flo. Kaida took the opportunity to steal one of his treacle tarts perched on the top of his pile.

Pineco was hit full blast by the razor leaf, making it tumble backwards towards John.

"Protect! Protect! Protect!" John bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

Pineco surprisingly obeyed and a strong shimmering bubble appeared around it.

"Oh my Murkrow. It worked! It worked!" John started to tap dance in happiness, causing the other Pineco trainers to raise their eyebrows and look around shiftily. They seemed to regard him as a bit of an idiot.

"I've never seen a trainer so happy about a Pokémon using protect," Matt commented as John continued to dance.

"Are we sure John's OK?" Flo leaned past Reid's food tower to ask Kaida.

"He's quite a good dancer," Nila said wryly.

"Who knew, who knew?" Kaida took another bite of treacle tart.

"Two minutes are up!"

The judge's voice snapped John out of his dancing state and he regained his composure. The judge went along the lines, checking each Pineco for damage as he did, Matt reassuringly pointed out to John that many of the competition had sustained more damage then his Pineco, who, for the first time since John had ever caught him, was sitting perfectly still. John smiled with pride for a few seconds before Matt pointed out it was having a glaring competition with the large Pineco down the end.

"Looks like you have a rival, John."

The Pineco trainer, who was a teenager who was a lot older than John, pushed his glasses up from the tip of his nose. As they caught the sun light, John beheld his arrogant smile.

"Who is that guy?" John asked, ignoring the judge as he examined his Pineco.

"Conway," Matt stated simply. "He grew up in my hometown before he moved to Sinnoh with his parents. He was always an odd ball"

"Most of these bug trainers are." John pointed, proving his point, to a girl in dungarees, who was singing to her Venonat as she spoon fed it.

"True, but he isn't just a bug trainer. Conway shouldn't be underestimated." Matt looked knowingly at the boy in glasses. "He's strong and your biggest threat in this competition. No shiny Pineco is going to beat a pumped up Pineco like that."

John nodded. He knew Matt was right; his Pineco was tiny in comparison. Was he a fool for entering when he should have realised that, with all the professional bug trainers, he could never win or even come close? And what would it do to his Pineco? It wasn't even about the contest anymore. It was about Pineco. He had clearly done an abysmal job in raising it. What sort of trainer was he? His Pokémon would only run away from him! Pineco could be scared and this contest could put enormous amounts of pressure on it and ruin its already frail self-confidence. John shook his head, ashamed of himself, but then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Matt's dark brown eyes.

"Just because you don't win won't make you a bad trainer. These contests are just for fun… Well, they are for normal people like us." Matt smiled, letting go of his shoulder as the boy beside him coughed in irritation. "Do you need a cough drop or something?" Matt turned slowly to glare at him. "Because, if you don't mind, you are ruining my pep talk!"

John laughed as the bug catcher recoiled and returned to looking forward again to the crowd.

"You really are a perfect match for Kaida," he murmured, thinking of how Matt had calmed him down so easily.

Matt luckily didn't hear him as he turned back.

"Now," Matt continued, "remember you are a sane trainer not an obsessed bug man. So just go out there and have fun. If Pineco sees you are having fun then it will have fun. Comnprendy?" Matt gave him two thumbs up. "Be right back. I need a snack. You want anything?"

"Umm yeah just bring me an apple or something." John waved his hand as he saw the judge finish with the last Pineco.

"Fruit? OK, dude, whatever you say." Matt looked bemused and then ran off into the tent.

"Hi, John." Flo suddenly appeared at John's elbow, causing him to stumble backwards in surprise. "How you feeling? Is Matt helping you? Do you think he will marry Kaida? Do you think he's gay? Do you think Danny is gay? Are you gay?" She gasped. "Are you trying to steal Matt from Kaida?!" John tried to deny this but Flo continued to ramble. "Do you know if they have any cute Pokémon here? Where are the bagels?" Flo rattled off more and more, making Johns head spin from the speed and the sheer amount of questions.

"That's a lot of things to answer in thirty seconds." John grimaced. "I'm doing OK, yes Matt is helping me, he's nice guy and I'm not surprised Kaida likes him. I don't know if he will marry Kaida, as she's only _twelve_, but he isn't gay. Even if he was, I'm not gay, and I'm not trying to steal him from her. And, for the last time, Danny is a hundred percent gay and, no, there are no cute Pokémon wandering around because you hate bugs. There." John took a deep breath at the end of his rant back at her. "Did I answer everything?"

"No. Where are the bagels?" Flo whined, stamping her feet like a little child.

"Bagels are in the tent," Matt told her as he returned. "They're in the food tent," he said slowly, as if speaking to a stupid person. "You know, with the _food_."

"Thanks, Matt." Flo grinned and hugged him.

As his hands were full he could not prevent her and so looked down alarmed as she clung to him, praying she would release him soon. He tried not to cry out but her grip was getting tighter and tighter and he thought his ribs could give way at any second. A sudden scream of anger from the audience caused Flo to jump away from him and run into the tent, laughing manically.

"What is _wrong_ with her?" Matt asked, his voice laced with fear and surprise. He handed a large apple pie and spoon to John.

"You're lucky. You could have had Rina and her sneak hug." John dug into his pie taking in the beautiful smell of apple and cinnamon. Ah, apples…

"The winners of the defence challenge are .... Conway and his Pineco!" The judge boomed, summoning back his Bulbasaur.

"I knew it." Matt tapped his nose, trying to look all knowing. "That Pineco is a hench little thing. It's probably gonna evolve soon."

"Next challenge is the speed challenge," the judge announced. "Contestants will race to that statue and back. The first to cross the line will be the winner. You have a minute to prepare."

"Speed, Pineco." John grinned as he picked up the Pokémon. "You are a master of speed. You can win this easily. Conway and his... Erm, large Pineco…"

"That Pineco is hench." Matt sniggered at the look on John's face.

"I am not going to call a Pokémon hench," John spluttered.

"You'd rather call them fat?" Matt imitated John's posture and voice. "Hello my fatty little Pineco… How is my fatty bonbon today?"

John glared but his retort was cut off by the judge.

"Contestants place your Pokémon"

"Oh crap." John rushed forward and plunked Pineco on the starting line and darted back to the other contestants.

"On your marks, get ready... GO!"

"Go, Pineco!" John yelled. His voice was much louder then the rest. "Go, you crazy little creature." Pineco didn't need John's encouragement. It was already neck and neck with Conway's Pineco at the front.

"Do you think it will remember to turn and come back?" Matt asked.

"Oh…" John swore loudly and hit his face with the palm of his hand. "Pineco, if you can hear me, please, be a good Pineco and turn the hell around," he muttered into his hand. Even if Pineco hadn't heard him, he still turned at the correct point, bouncing along at a furious speed.

"Is it just me," Kaida whispered, "or is this the funniest race you have ever seen?"

"Yep," Reid agreed. "I particularly like the Pineco hiding behind its owner's legs in fear."

"Maybe it doesn't like open spaces." Flo chipped in.

"Wow, it has issues." Kaida looked at the owner in pity as he tried to throw the Pineco into the race.

"Yup more than John's and that's saying something." Reid returned back to his food mountain. Nila had fallen asleep in the afternoon sun quite a while ago and was now muttering things on Kaida's shoulder.

"Speaking of issues." Kaida growled as Nila's fist flew very close to her face.

Pineco was now a few leaps short of the finish line, still neck and neck with Conway's, but Conway's Pineco was tiring: its body mass wasn't so helpful now. Now John's Pineco was edging for the lead. It took one final bounce and it was over.

"He won," Kaida screamed, throwing her arms in the air, sending Nila flying. Reid waved his chicken leg in support and Flo and Rina whooped wildly

"Nice snooze my dear," Kaida asked Nila sweetly.

"Huh." Nila looked around confused. She didn't remember falling asleep on the floor. Rina took that moment to grin at her, only a few centimetres from her face, which was a very bad move on her part as Nila's hand started to twitch.

John opened his arms for Pineco but it tore straight past him with Conway's Pineco on its tail. John swore again and started to run after them. Luckily they were getting tired so he was gaining on them fairly quickly.

"Pineco, stop, halt, decease, sit, stop bouncing, you fool!" he ranted as he went.

"Pineco, stop!" a stern voice stated behind John.

Conway's Pineco halted immediately then hopped back to its owner. John's Pineco, after seeing its rival being called off, stopped and wandered back to John.

"You should learn to control that Pokémon of yours," Conway told him matter-of-factly. "It's a hazard."

John growled as he watched Conway walk away. As if all trainers didn't go through a few glitches when raising Pokémon…

"I hate that guy," John said as he and Pineco went back to their place in the line next to Matt.

"Yeah, most people that meet him say that," Matt said simply.

They watched as Conway reposition his glasses for about the twentieth time. The sun hit them and they took a silver glint. John blinked rapidly. The resulting shine had hurt his eyes.

"The last challenge is the power test," the judge announced, snapping John out of his mood. "Each contestant will use Selfdestruct or Explosion to blow up as many bricks as possible." He indicated to the men constructing a large pile of bricks in front of each Pineco. "After this even the scores will be tallied and the winner announced." They waited until the last of the bricks were in place and the men putting them up vacated the area. "You may begin."

"Well, Pineco, you ready?" John looked down at his Pokémon.

"Pine, pine," it answered, jumping forward to the bricks.

There was a loud explosion to the right. One of the Pineco had got over excited and exploded in their owner arms.

"Oh dear." Matt cringed. "The no eyebrows look really doesn't suit her"

"When does it suit anyone?" John asked.

Matt shrugged and they watched another Pineco use Selfdestruct by its pile of bricks, taking out half of them.

"Pine Pineco," the little creature in front of John pleaded.

"OK. Your turn. Try your very best." The little creature nodded and began to glow with power. A large explosion later and John found a dazed Pineco in the middle of the ten remaining bricks.

"Very well done," the judge commented as he jotted down the score.

Matt grinned as he pointed out that Conway had broken less bricks. It was only a few less but every little counted.

"He won't be so smug now."

The judge cleared his throat. "For the best of Pineco awards, the results are as follows."

"Good luck," Matt whispered.

"In fifth place comes Shelly, winning some Impapa berries."

The girl walked forward and gratefully accepted the small bag of berries.

"In fourth place is John, winning some Wiki berries."

John grinned and strolled forward to claim his prize. Fourth out of eight was good in his book.

"In third place is David, winning the Magost berries."

The shiny Pineco trainer ran forward excitedly. John could tell it must have been his first contest.

"Second place is Conway, winning the Starf berry."

Conway's smirk, John could see, had slipped. He obviously had thought he had the contest in the bag.

"And lastly the winner of this contest is Freddie and his Pineco, earning him a Sun Stone."

The crowd clapped and cheered as the bug catcher collected his new stone and was presented with a medal.

"You all right?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, just glad Mr Glinty Glasses down there didn't win."

The boys both chuckled as they walked back to the others, who were looking increasingly bored on their bench. Pineco bouncing along happily in John's arms. That had to be the best victory of the day, John thought. Pineco was sitting still and not exploding. Finally he'd made some progress.

* * *

**A/N**

Yes, Conway is from the anime... We watched one episode (they were at a summer school) out of boredom one morning and were very confused by his shiny glasses. The rest of the info came from the internet because we don't normally watch the anime so had no clue who he was!


	24. Chapter 24: bug catching fun continued

**24. Bug catching fun continued.**

As well as specific bug categories, there were speed tests in general. After Nila had been rudely awakened by being pushed off a bench, she went to look at the other contests. Watching Flo annoy Kaida was, quite unfortunately, only amusing for so long. She wandered around until she spotted a familiar face.

"Hellooo," Penelope cried, with an infectious smile. "My eternal rival. Here you are!"

"I'm flattered," Nila said dryly.

"Don't be," another voice said teasingly. "She has many eternal rivals."

"That _is _true," Penelope said, her hand on her chin. "Hey, meet my little sister, Chandra."

"I'm not little," the little sister protested. "I'm twelve."

Chandra looked remarkably similar to Penelope except that she had a rounder face and was a little bit shorter. She had a few dotted freckles across her nose as well but they shared the same hair and the same eyes and pretty much everything else. Nila nodded at her in greeting. As she did this, an Elekid popped out behind Chandra's leg.

"Where are Amala and Cyan?" Nila asked.

Penelope shrugged carelessly. "Eh, I dunno. Somewhere. Cyan said he would come but Amala might still be in Azalea. I'm not actually travelling with them anymore."

"You're with different people every time I see you," Nila said.

Penelope laughed, swinging her arms around as she looked over her shoulder to check the start time for her race. "Yeah, well, my friends and I are all so competitive we can only stay with each other for short amounts of time before we strangle each other."

Chandra nodded. "It's true."

"Especially her," Penelope said, jerking a thumb at her sister. "We fought like angry Tauros when we were little. We both have plenty of scars."

At that moment a judge called out the start of the flying contest. Chandra startled.

"That's me!" she said. She released a large Venomoth. "Let's do this!"

The flying contest involved flying against large fans, weaving through trees, and a home straight at the end. There were many Pokémon lined up and ready to go including Beedrill, Butterfree, and Scyther. Venomoth took its place next to them and readied itself.

"Remember, follow the cones," the judge cautioned. "On your marks, get set, go!"

Venomoth moved off the line instantly. The fans began to blow furiously, creating a strong wind that hindered the flying bugs. Pokémon like Heracross and Scyther were best equipped to deal with it as they were heavier. Pokémon like Butterfree were struggling.

"Come on, Venomoth!" Chandra yelled. "You can do it!"

She pumped her fist so furiously that she accidentally swiped the cheek of the boy next to her. He cried out in pain and she looked sheepish for a second, apologising quickly, before once again getting caught up with the crowd and stamping her feet furiously.

Nila raised her eyebrows at the over the top enthusiasm. Penelope noticed.

"I told you. Competitive. Only, unlike moi, she's a bit grumpy when she loses."

Penelope _had_ taken loss against Nila extremely well when they had battled at Falkner's gym all that time ago in Violet City.

The bugs had reached the wood and flitted in and out of view as they dodged through the trees. Penelope brought some binoculars out so she could get a better view. Nila saw Chandra now had a pair out too and was swearing vehemently, claiming the Heracross had rammed into her Venomoth.

"Cheat!" Chandra yelled.

The trainer of Heracross looked quite affronted by these accusations. However, her Heracross was in the lead so she couldn't complain much. Despite its larger size it was quite skilled at dodging through the trees.

"Venomoth!" Chandra shouted. "Come on!"

Venomoth was catching up but Heracross and a zooming Beedrill had a reasonably lead. The bugs reached the turning point in the woods and moved back along a slightly different route through the trees. One Butterfree hit into a tree and fell down. Its trainer gasped in horror but he wasn't allowed to go and get his Pokémon until all the bugs had gone by.

Chandra was still yelling furiously and dancing around, urging her Venomoth on. The bugs finally burst through the end of the trees and along the straight, open flat to the finish line. Venomoth was catching up gradually, getting closer and closer to Beedrill, who was also gaining on Heracross, but then Scyther, freed from the restraints of the dense trees, nipped past Venomoth. Chandra wailed loudly as Venomoth ended in third, with Beedrill winning by a nose.

"It was all that stupid Heracross," she grumbled. "It hit into Venomoth. I know it did."

"There, there," Penelope said patronisingly, patting Chandra on the head.

Chandra glared and stomped off. Penelope rolled her eyes.

"She'll cheer up in a minute."

She was right about that. Chandra was still smarting from the loss but was otherwise in a fairly good mood when Nila decided to head back and find the others. She waved goodbye to Penelope and Chandra and Penelope shouted that next time they met they would have to battle, and Penelope would win for sure!

"Keep dreaming," Nila yelled back.

Penelope poked her tongue out and waggled it. Nila held back a laugh.

As she walked back she spotted another familiar face. Cyan and Amala – plus an unknown girl with long, voluminous, black hair – were entering another speed contest, this time by foot. Nila arrived to watch the race end as a Venonat bounced into first place. A strange scorpion – Nila thought it was a Skorupi that was native to Sinnoh – scuttled in second. Cyan scooped up the Skorupi and patted it in congratulations. It waved its tail at him happily.

That was when Amala spotted Nila.

"Hey, loser," she said cheerfully.

"Shouldn't I say that to you?" Nila retorted.

Amala narrowed her eyes. "Type advantage!"

Nila rolled her eyes. She wasn't even going to bother to argue anymore.

"Anyway," Amala said, cheering up again. "What are you doing here?"

"John has a bug fetish," Nila told her.

"John's here?" Cyan said, looking interested. "How is his Pineco doing?"

"Dismally," Nila said. Then she backtracked and admitted, "Better."

"So he didn't go through with the lead idea," Cyan said, pushing his glasses up as they slipped down his nose.

Nila shook her head. "I think that would fail."

"Selfdestruct?" Cyan guessed.

Nila nodded.

The other girl folded her arms across her chest and cleared her throat to draw herself to attention. She was dressed up quite a lot for someone walking around a wildlife area. She was wearing a white dress with pink edging and a white hat to go with it. At least she wasn't wearing high heels, Nila thought, but she still knew she would end up with mud and grass stains everywhere if she ever tried to wear white. As she examined the girl, the girl looked back and then nudged Amala in the arm and gave her a significant look.

"Oh, this is Hannah," Amala said, finally getting the hint. "Hannah, meet Nila."

"Hi," Hannah said. "Your Chikorita is cute."

Chikorita did not look impressed by being called cute. It scowled.

"It looks really tough and smart though," Hannah added, noticing its angry expression. "I think… It has to like Aguav barriers. And bitter Pokéblocks!"

The girl reached into her purse to pull out a Pokéblock. She looked at Nila for permission and, when Nila nodded, she gave some to Chikorita, who munched it down happily. Hannah beamed.

"Yay," she said. "I'm getting better." She then explained. "I want to be a Pokémon Coordinator and Pokéblocks are a great way to get Pokémon in shape for contests. I'm trying to learn to look for signs of which Pokémon love which Pokéblock but it is really difficult."

Nila was fairly impressed. While she thought coordinating sounded a bit boring she did admire that the girl could tell a Pokémon's preference just by looking at it. That had to take some skill.

"I'm useless at it," Amala said to Nila. "That's why she normally travels with Chandra… Uh, that's Penelope's sister…"

"Yeah, I just met her," Nila said.

"Chandra likes to enter sport contests," Hannah told Nila. "For her or for her Pokémon. She's really into athletics." She smiled. "We needed a change though. She's gonna travel with Penelope for a while. Amala managed to get a lift up to National Park to meet me so we'll head to Goldenrod for a bit for some contests and Amala's battle with Whitney." She wrinkled her nose. "But, really, for contests, you have to go to Hoenn and Sinnoh. Johto has a few but they're just starting and it isn't as good."

Hannah talked a lot, Nila thought.

"Oh my giddy Aunt," Hannah said suddenly, just about stopping herself from swearing. "What is that boy _wearing_?"

She had paled drastically with horror. Nila tried to disguise her snort of laughter and she saw Amala was doing the same. Cyan just looked bewildered.

"Nila!" cried a voice.

Oh, Ho-oh save her, Nila thought. It was Rina. Rina who had just started to cling onto her arm. She felt her eye start to twitch. If she didn't remove herself in approximately three seconds then she was dead meat…

Fortunately Cyan distracted her by taking a cookie out of his bag and nibbling on it. Rina's eyes widened and she pounced, pleading desperately for one. Alarmed and confused, Cyan gave her one of his other cookies and watched as she ate it contently.

"Didn't you have enough cookies from the buffet?" Nila muttered.

Rina heard her and started to complain about there not being many. She lit up again when she started to recall the vast variety of cheese. She had sampled almost every piece, she told them, and then had gone back for seconds.

Cyan's confusion had now faded and Nila noticed he was watching Rina talk animatedly about cheese with some fascination. Rina's arms swung out and she had cookie crumbs around her mouth but he didn't seem that bothered by this. When Rina abruptly dashed off, saying she was scared Reid would finish all the cheese without her, he stared after her. Amala, Hannah, and Nila all stared at him and he flushed.

"She's, uh, kind of cute," he said.

Nila thought she could hear the sounds of the four horsemen rising. The world had to be ending. There was no other explanation.

"I'd give up," she told him, as kindly as she could manage. This didn't come out very kind at all, of course, and she sounded quite brusque. "She's either too young for male attention and still thinks they have killer germs or she's asexual. I haven't decided."

Cyan looked quite downtrodden at this news. Nila attempted to offer her condolences.

"You'll get over it," she told him.

This didn't seem to help.

"We have to go to the Butterfree contest," Hannah said, suddenly urgent. "Nice meeting you, Nila."

They all waved goodbye and walked off. Amala, like Penelope, told Nila she wanted a rematch next time they met. Nila walked back to find the others, still partially traumatised by the idea that somebody might have a crush on Rina. Cyan was an odd boy indeed.

-

Finally the last contest of the day was upon them, which most of the group was happy about. Only John, Matt and Rina seemed to be having fun, although Reid was quite content with the free food still coming out. During the wait between Pineco and the bug catching finale, the group had filled Matt in about their interesting adventures with Slowpoke, Lapras, Ilex Forest, and Goldenrod City. Flo had also given him an epic tale of the Day Care adventure, notably leaving out the fact that everyone thought her beloved Danny was gay, but Kaida soon chipped that in, much to Flo's annoyance.

"What Pokémon are you hoping to catch in the contest?" Flo asked Matt and John to change the subject.

"Well, if we want to have any chance of winning, we have to catch Pinsir or Scyther but they are pretty rare and won't be easy to find with this bunch of crazies out there." Matt pointed to a bunch of bug catchers over his shoulder. Each of them was dressed as a Pokémon.

"Oh, a Venonat." Rina eyed the bug catcher with wide eyes.

"It's not real, you moron. It's a guy in a suit." Flo whacked her on the back of the head in annoyance. Even she wasn't that stupid. Rina groaned and clutched the back of her head and then proceeded to give Kaida big, round, 'Jigglypuff' eyes to get her to help.

"Don't give me that look," Kaida growled, shuffling closer to Matt. "You deserved that one."

Rina pouted and resumed her daisy chain making, while singing in a creepy voice which would have earned her another slap if Kaida hadn't stopped Flo's arm in time.

"I know it feels good but it's just not worth it," Kaida whispered, releasing Flo's arm as she agreed sadly.

Nila snorted. Kaida was one to lecture about physical violence.

"Come on, the contest starts in two minutes. Let's go get our balls," John said to Matt.

"You wanna rephrase that?" Matt smiled raising his eyebrow

"What? What I say?" John looked puzzled. He thought he had made his point perfectly clear.

"Sorry, your dirty mind is lost on him," Kaida whispered in Matt's ear.

Good Lugia he smelt good, she thought, but quickly remembered to withdraw her head or Nila would give her superior looks forever. His hair looked soft too. She wanted to touch it to feel if it was. Luckily for everyone involved, Matt chose the right moment to turn his head and whisper back.

"I'll save my dirty mind for you then."

He gave her one last grin and then jumped up and followed John to where the contest balls were being given out, all the while trying to convince John what he said was nothing.

"You want to stroke him," Nila stated.

"What?!" Flo screeched. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Yes." Kaida nodded, looking woefully at Nila. "His hair looks so soft."

"Ohhh." Flo realised what she had really meant and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can't go touching his hair. You will freak the poor guy out," Nila told her.

Kaida knew she was right but _still. _It was unfair.

"It looks so good," she whined .

"One day, Kaida, one day. But if I see you going for his hair any time soon, I will be forced to stop you. It is for the greater good," Nila threatened. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Now for more important matters… I need more milk." She shook her empty glass and headed off toward the food tent to collect her prize.

At this point in time, John and Matt were now five minutes into the bug catching contest and things weren't going well. John and Totodile had jumped a bug catcher dressed as a Pinsir while Matt and his Growlithe had been chased around the park by many angry Beedrill.

"Have you found anything yet?" John called over some tall grass he was examining.

"Apart from the PMS-ing Beedrill, nothing except a few dozing Caterpie," Matt called down from the tree he was now attempting to climb.

John had refrained from climbing any of the trees because he remembered the time where he had got stuck after chasing Pineco. That had not been fun.

"PMS-ing Beedrill," John muttered to himself. Matt did have a strange way with words… John was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he lost concentration and tripped over a large rock protruding from the ground.

"Oooff. Damn rock," he complained.

Totodile danced with joy on his back, apparently amused by the clumsiness of its trainer. John heaved himself up from amongst the grass at the same time Matt jumped back out the tree.

"Don't think the Pidgey were happy about me being in their tree," Matt said, walking into the bushes with Growlithe right behind him.

"This is harder than I first thought." John scratched his head in bemusement. "Wonder if anyone has caught anything yet."

"Well, I'm going to try over here, I'll be back in a sec." Matt rushed off into the darkness of the bushes, leaving John alone in the field of grass.

"This is ridiculous." John groaned. "I haven't even seen a Caterpie let alone a Scyther."

Totodile quacked in reply before dancing on through the grass to a clump of bushes.

"I'll follow you then shall I?" John mused aloud.

Totodile quacked again and continued on its mission. John sighed. He had no other plan and so followed Totodile into the unknown. As he fought through the bushes and long hanging branches he was scratched and slapped on the back by various plant growth. While he did like the wild outdoors this was going a little bit far. He could hardly see a foot in front of him.

"This is going to be more trouble than it's worth," he grumbled, pushing the last branch out the way.

In front of him was a large fountain with water Pokémon craved into the side, where many of the other bug catchers were sitting, letting their Pokémon drink from the fountain.

"What part of bug catching contest do you not understand?" John glared down at Totodile.

It smiled up at him in return before waddling off to have a swim in the fountain.

"John!" John turned as he heard Matt call his name. Matt was waving a Park Ball in his hand and grinning. "I caught the grumpy Beedrill."

"What? How?" John demanded. Matt had only been gone a minute or so.

"Well, when I was looking in the bushes it came flying at me," Matt described, miming the movements with his hands animatedly. "Luckily, I heard it coming and ducked, but then it flew on into a tree." John cringed at the thought. "Yeah I know, it may be clumsy, but at least now I have something. I'm sure dad will enjoy it living in his garden."

"Don't you want to train it?" John asked.

"Nah, one bug is enough at the moment, and I'm happy with my team." He patted Growlithe on the head. It panted happily.

"Fancy coming and helping me find a bug," John looked at Matt pleadingly.

"Yeah, of course. We only have five minutes left though," he said, pointing at his watch.

John swore. "Totodile, get over here." He attempted to usher his Pokemon from the fountain.

"Err, John." Matt laughed.

"What?"

"You have a friend." Matt pointed a John's back.

"I can't see," John said, trying to twist his body around.

"Hang on, just take off your bag." John obeyed and swung the bag gently from his shoulders. He was shocked to see a small Yanma clinging onto his bag for dear life.

"Hey, little fellow," John reached down and slowly pulled the small being from his bag and into his arms.

"It looks like a baby," Matt said. "I think they're normally found in swarms. It looks like this one got lost." He looked sad. "It really shouldn't be on its own. Yanma don't normally live in National Park."

"Poor thing," John said.

The little Yanma was now shaking in his arms in fear at the loud noise of the other contestants making their way towards the judges. "Hey, I'll make a deal with you," John whispered to the little creature. "If you go in this Park Ball for me then I will take care of you and make you big and strong, OK?"

"Yan, yan."

The Pokémon nodded and fluttered to the floor ready to be captured. John pulled one of the Park Balls out of his bag and threw it in the direction of the baby Yanma. The ball absorbed it, glowed, and rolled around for a few seconds before it went still and John picked it up in triumph.

"Let's go win a contest," Matt cheered, and the two boys ran off after the other contestants.

When they got to the judges' area, they were all instructed to release their captured Pokémon and wait to be judged. John and Matt obliged and sat on the grass with Beedrill and Yanma. Beedrill was still dizzy from its collision with the tree so it was fairly calm and Yanma was just happy clinging on to John's arm, content to have a friend. They could see Conway a little way off with a Pinsir at his side.

"Damn, he's going to win." Matt sighed, regarding all the other Pokémon on display, which were only Butterfree, Beedrill and a few Metapod.

The judges approached them marking down Matt's Beedrill on their clipboard.

"Oh, my word." An elderly judge looked surprised upon seeing the Yanma and with due cause. As Matt had correctly said, they weren't supposed to be found in National Park.

"A Yanma?" the female judge questioned. "Where did you get this?"

"I found him in the bushes by the fountain," John explained.

The judges noted something down on their clipboards and wandered off again. A little while later, after they had finished looking at all of the Pokémon, they called for silence and announced their decision.

"After much deliberation," the elderly judge began, "we have decided our winners. Of course, all of the participants will receive a berry but runners up will receive special, rare berries. In third place it is Casey with her Butterfree." The girl ran up to the female judge and collected her prize enthusiastically. "In second place it's Conway with his Pinsir." Conway looked sour as he collected his reward. He had believed that his large Pinsir would beat anything but apparently not. "And the winner of the bug catching contest is John with his Yanma winning a Sun Stone"

"I won," John yelled, surprised.

"Yes, now go get your prize, you idiot." Matt said, pushing John up from the ground.

John strolled casually up to the judges with a large grin plastered all over his face, which was only enlarged by the look of fury on Conway's face.

-

The end of the bug contest meant they had to say goodbye to Matt, who was meeting up with some friends in Goldenrod before he went to challenge his next gym. Kaida was extremely reluctant to leave. In the months she had been travelling she had only seen him three times and this day had been the longest time she had ever spent with him. She kicked a stone morosely as they prepared to go to the eastern exit of National Park while Matt was heading to the southern one.

"I'm sure that I'll see you soon," he said, giving her a hug goodbye.

Mmm. He did smell good. Kaida breathed in deeply. Her hands were so close to his hair… Maybe she could just have one little touch.

"Ow!" she yelped, leaping backwards out of Matt's embrace.

"Sorry," Nila said, sounding anything but it. "My foot must have slipped."

"Into my leg?!" Kaida snapped.

"It was very unfortunate," Nila said drolly, sounding so serious that Kaida could only gape. Matt looked a little confused but didn't question her.

"I really have to go," Matt said. "Bye! Great catch, John!"

He walked off, waving. Kaida put her hand to her chest and sighed. She missed him already.

"Sometimes," Nila said flatly, "you make me feel physically sick."

Kaida snapped out of her daze and glared fiercely. She tried to hit Nila but she dodged and ducked behind John. Kaida took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Too much sappiness?" John grinned.

Nila nodded.

"But you like, Matt, right?" Kaida said anxiously, appealing to all of them. He was amazing. They had to see that.

John nodded. "Yeah, he's nice."

"Didn't really speak to him," Reid said, munching on a roll. He had not wanted to leave the buffet and had wrapped a lot of food up in tissues and put it in his pockets.

"I like him," Flo said, trying to wink lasciviously and failing miserably. She squealed and backed off when Kaida took a threatening step forwards.

Nila had to ruin it. "He's overly nice and a bit dim-witted," she said, "but he's all right."

Kaida's eyes bugged. "What?!" she screamed. "Matt is _not _dim-witted!"

Nila patted her head. "It's OK, Kaida," she said, ignoring her friend's fuming rage. "He's perfect for you."

She started to walk off and the others followed. Kaida, however, didn't move.

"Wait," she frowned. "Are you calling _me _dim-witted too?" She looked around when she received no reply and noticed Nila had left. "Nila! Nila! Come back here!" She scowled and mumbled, "I expect this bullying from Flo…"

Up ahead, John was chuckling at Kaida's reaction.

"You know," he said to Nila. "You could try being nice to people."

Nila looked at him blankly. "Why? That's boring."

John threw his hands in the air. They all were hopeless.


	25. Chapter 25: angry trees and pancakes

**25. Of angry trees, pancakes, and troubles with history**

After the adventures at National Park, they left to travel towards Ecruteak City. Because of the dense forests they had to travel east for a while before going north, on a route that led to Violet City. They were walking extremely slowly because Rina was skipping around, tugging up grass and slapping random trees as she passed. As they walked they also were discussing John's trusty jacket.

"It is brown," John insisted.

"It's green," Kaida said. She looked to Nila. "Back me up."

"It is green," Nila agreed.

"Brown!" Rina said, from over by the trees.

"It is actually sort of grey," Flo said.

They all stared at her.

"What? It is!"

"It is definitely not grey," John said, with agreeing nods from Kaida and Nila.

"What do you think, Reid?" John asked.

"Uh, I really don't care," Reid said. As an afterthought he added, "It's not grey though."

"Is it gang up on Flo day or something?" Flo demanded.

"It is always gang up on Flo day," said Kaida.

"Plum," Nila added.

John, Nila, and Kaida continued to debate the colour of his jacket. John was determined that it was brown and, as it was two versus two in the matter, and he was the owener of the coat, he declared that he won.

"You have Rina on your side," Kaida pointed out. "We win."

"What, why?" John said.

"She hardly counts as a vote. She picks up cheese from a dirty ground and tries to eat it," Nila reminded him.

"Ah," John said. He had no returning argument to _that_.

"I do like cheese," Rina said happily, still over by the tree line, poking at the trees. "Hey look," she said. "This tree is spotty!"

The tree in question was certainly a bizarre shape compared to the foliage around it. While it did have leaves they were dry and, when Rina swiped at them, they simply fell off. She started to poke the spots of the tree individually, poking harder and faster as she went along. Then the tree opened its eyes.

"Sudowoodo!" the tree declared angrily. "Sudo!"

Rina leapt backwards in shock. Her eyes were round.

"Wow, it's a Pokémon!" she said.

She went back to poking it.

"Sudo!"

Sudowoodo moved forward and Rina stumbled backwards. It moved forward again and Rina took another step away. Then, quite rapidly, it started to run. Rina yelped and ran away, the tree running after her. Seeing the chase, Totodile started to run too, firing random Water Gun attacks after the peculiar Pokémon. Then, oddly enough, Sudowoodo started to use Water Gun on Rina.

"It must know Mimic," John said, as they ran after it.

They couldn't help but laugh as Rina tried to dodge the powerful water jets. Sudowoodo then started to use Rock Slide, which was a little less funny, because large boulders could cause a lot more damage. Luckily Rina managed to avoid them.

"Clear off!" John said.

"Are you kidding?" Reid said. "I want it."

John had to admit it was quite a cool Pokémon. He nodded and stepped aside, recalling Totodile, who reluctantly returned to his side.

"Go, Snorlax!" Reid said.

Snorlax erupted from the Pokéball, asleep. Reid sighed.

"I didn't think this through," he admitted.

John laughed. "I'll help. Kaida's pretty much got me all my Pokémon, accidentally or not! Totodile, use Ice Fang!"

Totodile leapt forwards and happily bit the flailing Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo tried to return the attack using its Mimic, but it wasn't very effective. Instead it opted to use Low Kick, sending Totodile flying backwards to splat into a tree. This didn't keep the water Pokémon down for long and it retaliated with a Water Gun attack. Sudowoodo used Mimic again but Totodile met this water blast with one of its own.

"Use Bite!" John ordered.

Totodile leapt towards Sudowoodo but its move had a lot more force than usual. It had learnt Crunch! John was impressed. His Totodile was growing stronger rapidly.

"Totodile, use Water Gun one more time!"

Sudowoodo, despite its looks, was a rock Pokémon, so Totodile had the type advantage. This last Water Gun suitably weakened it so Reid could throw a Pokéball to capture it. They watched the Pokéball shake and, finally, Sudowoodo was caught.

"A useful Pokémon," Reid said happily. "Well, as long as it doesn't run away from me all the time…"

John glared. He helped Reid and that was the thanks he got! A snide remark about Pineco!

"Just kidding, John," Reid said. "Thanks!"

As they got to the north route, Flo piped up.

"I want to go back to Violet City," she said.

"You're leaving?" Kaida said hopefully. No more teasing about Matt! It would be heaven! Well, there was still Nila, but she wasn't nearly so bad…

"No, I want to go home for my birthday," Flo said.

Kaida looked her blankly.

"I already told you about this. My mum makes a big deal every year. She goes crazy baking. We have cake and cookies and–"

"I'll come with you," Rina said quickly. "I can have cookies, yes?"

"Yeah, sure," Flo said, glad she had someone to travel with her. She didn't want to go by herself.

"Well we want to go to Ecruteak," Kaida said.

"I have my eating contest soon," Reid said. "I can't miss it. Going to Violet would take far too long."

John looked between Flo and Rina and Reid. Then he looked to Kaida and Nila.

"Well, we can't let Flo and Rina go by themselves…"

"We can meet back up with Reid, in Ecruteak," Flo said.

Kaida could see she and Nila were being enlisted to accompany Flo and Rina to Violet City. She groaned.

"There better be some damn good cake," she threatened.

Flo nodded obediently. "My mum will make loads."

"Bring us some," John said.

"You wish," Kaida muttered. She sighed. It looked like they were going back to Violet City then. With Rina and Flo as companions and not even John to cook them nice food at dinner time. Oh, _joy_.

-

As John and Reid walked north to Ecruteak City, they found themselves walking along one of the roads leading in that direction too. It was taking longer than they had anticipated, even if they could walk faster without the girls because of Rina and Flo's complaining, and Reid wasn't sure if they could get to Ecruteak City in time for his contest.

"I'd be fine if I had the bike," he said miserably. "But without the contests there is no bike." He sighed. "Maybe we could hitchhike."

John was uncertain. After all, there were many dangers with hitchhiking and he didn't particularly want to be killed and thrown out a vehicle at high speeds. Not that it would matter what speed he was thrown out after he was killed, of course, but high speeds would certainly make it difficult jumping out.

Reid had already stuck his hand out.

"We have our Pokémon to protect us," Reid said.

"Yeah, and so will they!" John said. He sighed, exasperated. He knew Reid was desperate to go to the contest, but their lives were a little bit more important than a bike. Reid didn't seem to see things that way.

Mostly cars just drove past them but, eventually, a long, black stretch limo drove up. John gave Reid a funny look. This was strange. The door opened and they peered inside to see a tall boy, a few years older than them, with dark hair and eyes. He was dressed all in black.

"You want a lift then?" he said. "I'm going to Ecruteak."

"Sure," Reid said, jumping in.

"But," John protested. He sighed and got in. He couldn't exactly leave Reid by himself…

"I'm Morven," the boy said. "And you are…?"

"Reid."

"John."

John twiddled his thumbs together a little anxiously.

"So," he inquired, "why did you stop?"

"I was bored," Morven said. "I thought I could have some interesting conversation."

"With strangers?" Reid said.

"My bodyguard can protect me," Morven said.

He gestured to his left, and their right, and they saw a muscled man with dark shades skulking the corner. He was so quiet and still that he seemed to blend in with the dark leather despite his large size.

"Fair enough," Reid said, eyeing the man a little warily. "So, why are you going to Ecruteak?"

"Business," Morven said in clipped tones. "You?"

"Eating contest," Reid said. "I'm raising money to buy a new bike."

"His Snorlax destroyed his old one by sitting on it," John added.

Morven chuckled. "No offence, but aren't you a bit small to be in eating contests?"

"No offence, but aren't you a bit young to be conducting _business_," Reid shot back.

"Touché," Morven said with a dark smile. "I'm fourteen and my parents are away most of the time. Business isn't that difficult to deal with. Not like, what was it? Eating."

Reid raised his eyes to the ceiling at the patronising tone. Yes, eating contests could be seen as a bit immature, but they were fun, and he was good at them, and really people who snubbed them were probably uptight and needed poles removing from their rear ends. Like this guy here.

A long awkward silence passed.

"Sooo," John said, clapping his hands together. "Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"Yes," Morven said. "My preference is for steel. You?"

"Um, bit of anything really," John said. "Unusual stuff. I'd like to get into Pokémon research so oddities are good."

Morven transferred his gaze to Reid.

"Well, I only have two Pokémon," Reid said. "Snorlax and Sudowoodo. Snorlax helps out in the old eating contests and Sudowoodo is there for anything else."

"I see," Morven said.

There was another silence.

"So what Pokémon do you have?" Reid asked.

"I have many," Morven said. "Some are imported from other regions because I don't have time to visit there at the moment with business as it is. I have Steelix, Metagross, Scizor, Magneton, as well as many others."

"Cool," Reid said.

The next few minutes had to be some of the most awkward moments of Reid's life. Then Morven decided to put on a DVD on his overhead wide screen TV player that slid out from the roof. They all began to watch it. Morven even seemed to lighten up (well, a little) as they laughed at the black comedy of the film. All too soon, in a far quicker time than they would have managed walking or even cycling, they were in Ecruteak City. Morven dropped them off just outside the small city and they emerged to see the rustic buildings, mostly made from dark wood panelling, with the backdrop of a tall building, The Tin Tower, and, a little closer, John fancied he could see a glimpse of the famous Burned Tower.

"Now we've got days to spare," Reid said contently. "See, hitchhiking turned out all right after all!"

John conceded to Reid but he still couldn't shake the funny feeling he had about that strange boy, Morven. There was something about him… He shook his head dismissively. He shouldn't dwell on it. He would probably never see him again.

-

Reid's eating contest involved pancakes this time. However, this time the contest was for people only, so he had to rely on his own merit instead of his Snorlax. John didn't think he had ever seen people eat so much. Without Totodile he wasn't disqualified, and he did eat a reasonable amount of food, but it was nothing compared to what some of the more serious competitors got through. How a lot of them remained so trim was a mystery to John. Reid was young and an athlete but some of these people… It was insane. There were a lot more people at this event than the one in Goldenrod and the competition was a lot fiercer as the prize money was greater.

Reid came second in the end, which was a disappointment, but he still scooped up a fair amount of cash for this. John received a bottle of apple pancake sauce for participating but he didn't expect he would use it too quickly. The thought of pancakes now made him sick.

"Next major contest is in Olivine City," Reid said, "but it isn't for ages. They have a few smaller ones there before then, but they have them here too, so it doesn't matter where I am."

Still, the girls were going to take ages to catch up. John and Reid decided they would have to find something to do in their free time so they wouldn't get too bored. Reid got an unofficial part time job helping in the eating contest café – he wasn't allowed to be paid in money so was paid in meals – but John struck lucky. One of the archaeologists from the Ruins of Alph had come up to do work in the Burned Tower and had spotted John in town and asked if he wanted to come along. John had jumped on the opportunity.

"I assume you have heard the legends about Ecruteak City," the tall archaeologist, Vincent, said to John.

"About Ho-oh and Lugia?" John replied. Yes he had.

Ecruteak had allegedly been the former home of Ho-oh and Lugia. They had each roosted on the peaks of the two tall towers north east and west of the city but, when one of the towers burned down, both of the legendary birds took off and they hadn't been seen in Ecruteak since. There had been tales of sightings but most of them turned out to be complete fallacy.

"Also of the three legendary dogs," Vincent added. "People claim to have seen those recently in the towers – and there are some depictions of them down there – but I assume these tales don't have much fact to them either."

John's first impression of the Burned Tower was how dark it was. Wood had crashed down from the levels above and had made the ground floor – the only surviving level – a complete labyrinth. The wood was black and stained with soot, despite the fact that the tower had burned down many years previously. In fact, John felt like the smoke and fumes were still trapped in there and his head felt lighter and he almost choked.

"Hopefully you'll make an amazing discovery here too," Vincent said. "We rearranged many of those tiles – we're still looking for a few more – but the ground opened up beneath some of the other tablets too. Some of the others swear they saw those letter Pokémon, the Unown, as well."

That was fascinating. John wished they had let him stay on the research team there. He knew he was young and needed more experience but the opportunities there were astounding. He could have helped discover new Pokémon – new legends – in that site. It was a pity. Still, he had more opportunity here. Normally people weren't allowed in the Burned Tower because it was unsafe but here he was in his hard hat, armed with a torch, tiptoeing around the site.

Near the entrance there was a hole in the floor and a ladder. Vincent told John that they had discovered a basement floor, which was more of a cave, underneath. This was where they had found many of the carvings.

"We want to investigate Tin Tower too," Vincent said, "but we're having trouble getting the clearance. The monks there are particularly defensive and they don't want us poking around. Still, it is a historical site…"

They climbed down the ladder and John saw that Vincent had been right. The cave was a bit messy – some wood and boulders had clearly been dislodged in the fire – but it was more intact than the first floor. Oddly enough there was a platform in the middle of the room with steps leading up to it on all sides. This could not have been where either of the legendary birds roosted so what was it for?

John was taken to investigate the carvings on the wall. They were written with the script of the Unown, which was similar to their alphabet but different at the same time. There were also depictions of other creatures including the legendary dogs: Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. John stared at them, impressed. The pictures on the wall even looked impressive. He couldn't help but wonder what they would look like in reality.

There were also drawings of Ho-oh and Lugia. It took John a while to realise that, as he walked around, there seemed to be some sort of timeline.

"Here," Vincent said, stopping him. "This is the tower burning. Look, Lugia and Ho-oh are taking off."

"Wow," John said. They were not very far along the wall at all and it already showed that event which was not recent but wasn't the ancient past either. "When were these drawn?"

"It is difficult to tell," Vincent said. "We're haven't found the utensils that drew them and everything seems too perfect. The script doesn't seem like something a human could draw some accurately."

"So it was a Pokémon?"

"We have no idea."

"Do you think this could really be the future of the birds?" John asked. "Look." He hurried up the wall. "This is Lugia. He is settling by the sea… Four islands and, hey, whirlpools. These are the Whirl Islands, aren't they? Could Lugia really be there?"

"We've got people over there searching, of course," Vincent said, "but we've come up with nothing."

John walked back along the timeline until the very beginning. There, before everything else, was the sketch of a bell and two wings. There was some script beneath it. John leaned in. Vincent approached him from behind.

"We've managed to translate that bit," he said. "It says 'summoned across the seas, lands and skies, the Clear Bell, Rainbow Wing, and Silver Wing.' There are a few myths about these objects, of course, but no one has ever found them."

John walked up and down the line again, trying to see if there were any clues about where these objects were. He could find no references, which was extremely disappointing.

When John emerged later he thought he saw a glimpse of a dark figure in a long black coat standing outside the Burned Tower in the darkness. He glanced back at the figure was gone. He blinked several times and decided he had probably imagined that Morven had been standing there.

-

Reid decided that his Sudowoodo was "made of awesome." He declared this to John one evening as they took their Pokémon to train on the outskirts of Ecruteak City, near Burned Tower. His Sudowoodo was certainly powerful and could face off John's primary Pokémon, Hoothoot and Totodile, who he had been training for quite a while. Hoothoot did put up an impressive fight though, despite its type advantage, using its new move, Confusion, which managed to confuse the rock Pokémon.

"Come on Sudowoodo," Reid urged. "Use Rock Slide!"

The rocks came crashing back down on Sudowoodo's head. It groaned in pain. Hoothoot flapped far above it, looking very amused. It had been very ineffective when trying to Peck Sudowoodo and this was perfect revenge.

"Use Hypnosis!" John said.

"Those sneaky moves are annoying," Reid said. "Sudowoodo, wake up!"

Confused, disorientated, and asleep… It all looked a bit hopeless for Sudowoodo but, surprisingly, it didn't take too long for the Pokémon to wake up.

"Use Mimic," Reid ordered when Hoothoot used Confusion again.

The psychic attack was turned around on Hoothoot and now it was the one who became confused. As it flopped out of the side Sudowoodo used Low Kick. This wasn't very effective but it did enough damage when followed by the powerful Rock Slide.

"Sudowoodo is pretty fast," John commented as they watched it nip around the area.

"It is insanely happy as well," Reid said. "I know it chased Rina but, let's be honest, she is really annoying."

John snickered.

"Anyway, this Clear Bell, Wing stuff is weird," Reid said. "And you thought you saw Morven?"

"I don't know," John said. Then he paused. "Look!"

He pointed towards the Burned Tower. They both saw a dark figure approaching it. A cape was fluttering around the figure's ankles. John frowned and, just before the figure turned, he pulled Reid to the ground so they would hopefully be hidden from his eyesight. The figure, definitely masculine, looked in their direction for a moment but then looked away again. Sudowoodo and Hoothoot seemed to have sensed the change in mood and moved silently behind them. John and Reid returned the Pokémon to their Pokéballs.

"Why is he going in there?" John asked.

The figure was moving towards the Burned Tower and the guard appeared to be missing! What on earth was going on? John and Reid hurried forwards, keeping to the shadows as best they could, following the mysterious figure.

"It's Morven," John declared.

"How can you tell?" Reid asked.

John shrugged. He had seen Morven earlier and the figure looked to be the same shape and he had the same dark hair. Why was he so interested in the Burned Tower? He was supposed to be in Ecruteak for business. This was an archaeological site! They drew closer and closer to Morven as he walked inside the building. He was wearing a cape that was dotted with rips and torn at the edges. When he turned, and they ducked out of sight again, they saw he was also wearing what appeared to be an iron mask.

"That is definitely him," Reid agreed.

"What does he want?!" John asked.

Two bulky looking men came hurrying from Ecruteak after him and one took position outside the door while the other followed Morven inside. These had to be his bodyguards. John and Reid couldn't get any closer while they were there. John frowned. They had better not touch anything down there. The historical evidence had to be handled carefully! John pulled out his phone. He was calling the police. He spoke quietly into the phone to brief them on the situation.

However, before the police could arrive, Morven came hurrying out, clutching a camera. He had been in there for over fifteen minutes and who knew what he had had the time to do. John's hands clenched into fists and his nails dug into his palms. If anything was ruined…

The sirens sounded and Morven's head snapped up. He and his bodyguards hurried away and John finally stood up. The police wouldn't be there in time so he had to stall them. He began to chase them and Reid followed behind him.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Stop!"

Morven glanced over his shoulder but one of his bodyguards ushered him on towards a dark vehicle, different to his limo.

"Morven!" John yelled. "I know it's you! Stop!"

One of the bodyguards reached into his belt and drew out a Pokéball.

"Go, Weezing!" the bodyguard yelled. "Explosion!"

Weezing flew towards Reid and John and they skidded to a halt, trying to backtrack. It was too late and there was a deafening explosion and they were thrown to the ground stunned. They were knocked out for several moments. When they came around the Weezing, the bodyguard, and the car were gone, and the police were skidding onto the scene.

"Are you two all right?" one of the officers called.

John weakly pointed. "They went… Black car… No registration plate…"

One of the police cars tore off after them but John doubted they would be able to catch them. They were probably long gone. He groaned and let his head hit the ground again. That had been a thousand times worse than Pineco's Selfdestruct and that had been bad enough. The attack was stronger and so was the Pokémon. He felt himself slip into unconsciousness and flittered in and out throughout the night as he heard shouts and the beeps of hospital equipment. Then, hours (or was it minutes?) later, there was finally darkness.

-

"Are you OK?" Kaida asked urgently down the phone.

"Yeah," John said weakly. "I had to stay a while in case I had concussion but I've just got a few scratches and bruises. Reid's fine too."

He was back at the trainer rooms that the Pokémon Centre provided after a few days in the hospital from Weezing's Explosion attack. The police had failed to catch up with Morven and John hadn't been able to provide much useful information about him. Even if they did catch him, John was going to have a hard job proving it was him, since he had been in the iron mask. John hadn't even heard him speak so he couldn't claim he recognised the voice. Still, he was hoping if he collaborated with Kaida they would have a little more luck. She had seen the face of the one who had stolen the Cyndaquil as well.

"I went to the police station but it didn't do much good," Kaida said. "They contacted Radio Tower in Goldenrod to see if they knew about the boy but they haven't had any luck." She scowled. "That guy needs someone to teach him a lesson."

Next to her, Nila nodded in agreement. She was equally fuming about Morven messing with a historical site, even if she wasn't as much of an enthusiast as John. Kaida was more concerned about the Cyndaquil.

"Do you want us to leave now?" Kaida asked John. "We can leave Flo and Rina and come pretty quickly."

"Nah, don't worry. I can go back to work on the site in another few days. Take your time," John said. "Reid has some little eating contests coming up too. You stay and enjoy the party."

"I don't think enjoy is the correct word," Nila muttered.

Kaida laughed. Flo's mother had already tried to force Nila into wearing a party hat. Nila had used Cyndaquil's flames to burn it. She was not impressed. Only the constant supply of milk was keeping her from walking out of the madhouse.

"Well, if you are sure," Kaida said. "We'll come as soon as we can."

"Yeah, bye," John said.

He hung up and flopped back down on the bed. He certainly hoped Morven was caught but it wasn't looking likely. He was definitely up to no good and needed to be stopped sooner rather than later.


	26. Chapter 26: Pokémon in socks

**26. Pokémon in socks and present capers**

It took a long time to reach Violet City due to the antics of Rina and her several disappearances. She ran off chasing butterflies on several occasions and she had insisted they go and hunt for her socks when more pairs went missing during the night. The search ended in failure and Kaida and Nila both thought that there must be a Jigglypuff nearby cackling manically at their attempts.

Flo did not cause much trouble because she wished to get home for her birthday. She had become quite the slave driver, in fact, yelling at them all to get a move on and hurry up. This ended badly for her when they picked up the pace quite drastically and she was left behind, complaining that she had short legs.

Flo's house was just as Kaida remembered: completely and utterly insane. It was still stuffed to the brim with random objects. Clearly the occupants refused to throw anything away and there were more memorabilia including a Bellsprout lamp that wiggled back and forward and a side table that had a Donphan base. It did not go well with the Chansey curtains.

Flo's mother looked a lot like her daughter. She was short with light brown hair and hazel eyes, although she had more curve to her hips, which Flo would probably acquire with age. She was pretty and full of smiles and had the same obsession with Bellsprout that her daughter did.

"And then we'll have the Bellsprout birthday cake for my baby girl," she cooed, "and some cookies shaped as Bellsprout heads…"

Rina perked up at the mention of cookies. She was quite ravenous and nibbling on the small chunk of cheese she had been given would only sustain her for so long.

"Hey." Kaida grabbed Nila's arm as Flo and Rina went on into the living room, discussing Flo's upcoming party.

"You are touching me again." Nila glared at the offending hand.

"Oh, get over it. Now listen," Kaida whispered. "Are we meant to be getting Flo a birthday present?"

"Like a gift given out of love?" Nila asked sceptically.

"Well, not love as such… Maybe just friendship," Kaida replied, sticking her head around the door frame to check that Flo wasn't listening.

"I don't think we are there yet in our relationship," Nila stated, wandering off into the kitchen to refill her glass of milk. She spotted some apple juice and decided to have that instead. She loved both drinks and it was nice to have a change now and again. On second thoughts, it was an even hour and she normally had apple juice during the odd hours. Milk it was then…

"Nila," Kaida hissed, marching after her. "We have to get her something!"

"Must we?" Nila sighed, reaching into the fridge to get the large bottle of milk that Flo had shown her earlier.

"Yes," Kaida pressed. "She may be annoying but it's the right thing to do"

"I hate the right thing," Nila muttered, shutting the fridge door. "It means effort."

Kaida ignored this and continued. "Now what would she want?"

"Some fashion sense?" Nila smirked.

"If you aren't going to be helpful then I will pour the rest of Flo's milk down the sink." Kaida scowled.

Nila's eyes widened in horror at the thought of all that milk just washing away…

"What about a nice little, cute Pokémon? That's a good idea." She nodded and then glared at Kaida. "Now you can't take my milk away. If you try then I'll bite you. Don't think I won't do it."

Kaida didn't doubt she would, but she was more wrapped up in what Nila had said before that. She grinned and nodded. "That's not actually a bad idea," she said. "She's always moaning that I evolved her Bellsprout so we could go get her a new better Pokémon."

"Yes. Now. Just to be clear. There will be no attempted spillages of the milk?" Nila eyed her suspiciously.

"No, no you're safe." Kaida waved her hand dismissively, looking through her Pokédex to see what Pokémon she could catch around violet city. "For now" she added, giggling at Nila's wide eyes. She stopped giggling when Nila's wide eyes narrowed into a death glare. Perhaps it would be better for her health if she didn't threaten the milk. Nila wasn't exactly the sanest of beings…

Back in the living room, Flo was rattling off her birthday plans to a rather confused Rina, who had taken up drawing on the notepad by the phone. Wooper was investigating the bounciness of the sofa, while Hoppip seemed to be rather amused by watching itself in the mirror that was hanging over the fire place. Psyduck was holding its head in the corner, trying to hide from the noise behind a big pillowed arm chair. Weepinbell was still following Flo's mother around, probably hoping to get some love and attention from her, since Flo seemed to dislike it now and did not give it the same attention that it used to have.

"I want to invite all the children in the city" Flo declared, completely disregarding the vast numbers this would include, as her mum re-entered the room, holding a tray of cakes, cookies, tea, and orange juice.

Rina launched herself upon the plate as soon as the china hit the cold shiny surface of the coffee table. Of course, because of the shiny smoothness, Rina and the plate went skidding across the surface and onto the floor. Flo's mother raised her eyebrows at the young biscuit and cake covered girl as Rina smiled up at her through the crumbs.

"I'll get you a damp cloth," she grumbled, eyeing her now messy carpet, and wandered off back into the kitchen as Kaida and Nila entered the living room, confused to why there had been a scream.

"Damn it. I thought you were hurt." Nila sighed.

"I knew it! You do wuv me!" Rina grinned, struggling to get up but looking like a stranded Ledyba.

"No," Nila corrected. "I wanted to come and laugh at you for being your moronic self or congratulate the person who did make you fall on your arse." Nila flopped down next to Wooper on the sofa, causing the creature to bounce onto the floor but this seemed to please it as it tried to scramble back up to bounce off again. Flo's mum reappeared with the damp cloth throwing it at Rina: she had not made a good first impression.

"I'm going out to get more food for my little pookie's party," she cooed at Flo, bending down and kissing her nose. "You girls have a lovely day… And don't break anything!" Her voice became gruff as she spoke the 'don't break anything' part and she eyed Rina with some distaste.

"Yeah we're gonna head off too." Kaida gave Nila a hard look that meant 'get off your lazy arse and do something.'

"Yeah, we have to go do things," Nila grunted, not even trying to hide her annoyance at the whole idea of moving. She wiggled her arms and legs in the air erratically then let them drop dramatically. "Oh no." She mocked, her voice deadpan and her face blank of all emotion. "I can't get up. What a pity. Looks like you will have to go with out me."

Kaida glared. A small twitch was developing in her eye.

"Wooper, Water Gun her arse!"

The little Pokémon happily obliged: it had not been in battle for a long time and, as it had no fear of Nila and her homicidal tendencies, it let rip.

"Ahhh!" Nila yelled, trying to use her hands to stop the water, but failing miserably. "You've made your point. I'll move!"

"OK, Wooper, you can stop now." Kaida looked satisfied by the drenched Nila in front of her.

"How come Wooper listens to you?" Flo asked, watching Kaida as she fed Wooper a Poffin.

"Because I'm nice to it," Kaida beamed. "It's a wonder what being nice can do for you," she shot at Nila, who was muttering under her breath. "Want me to warm up those damp clothes?"

She smirked as Nila glared at her.

"Don't you _dare_," Nila said. Stiffly, she added, "I'll be fine."

She got up from the soaking wet sofa and stomped towards the door, saying moodily, "Let's get this over with."

"Ahh, sweet satisfaction," Kaida whispered to herself happily. She turned back to the two squabbling girls on the floor – they didn't even seem able to share a packet of biscuits – and she grimaced at their high pitched voices. "Bye, you two. Try not to cause too much trouble."

"Huh?" Rina looked up confused. but Kaida had left minutes ago so no one was there to answer her. "I swear I heard voices."

"It's all in your head," Flo said simply, biting into her chocolate biscuit prize. "I'm gonna go get a drink."

Flo wandered into the kitchen, still munching her biscuit with Wooper at her heels and Hoppip floating along beside her. Something caught her eye out of the window but she brushed it aside and continued to the fridge. Pulling out a small bottle of orange juice, she walked back over to the sink where she could check what she had seen outside. She had guessed it was Weepinbell until she saw it sleeping on the table. She was greeted by an odd sight and summoned Rina to the kitchen because, out on her lawn, stood a fat little Jigglypuff. It was the one Rina had insulted weeks ago – who had been stalking them since then – but it had changed.

"It's wearing socks!" Flo pointed, jumping up and down in fear.

"Hmm. They look familiar" Rina pondered

"They are yours, you idiot! It's been stealing them!" Flo yelled. Her resolution to keep calm in terrifying situations didn't seem to be holding.

"But why would it want my socks?" Rina now looked totally confused; wrinkles were appearing on her brow as she tried to think hard and figure it out.

"How am I meant to know?" Flo squeaked, still looking horrified that a Jigglypuff in multi coloured striped socks was sitting in the middle of her lawn, looking oddly happy and more than slightly demented.

"Should I go poke it?" Rina asked. Reaching for the door.

"No! It will kill you! I've seen this stuff in movies!" Flo grabbed a chair and pulled it to the back door so she could pull all the locks at the top. "There that should hold it," she declared, but still she seemed nervous.

"Are you sure? What if it knows Hyper Beam or something?" Rina asked, peering out the window at the pink ball. "I think it's getting closer."

"Maybe we should send our Pokémon out to fight it." Flo rushed to open the window and ushered Wooper and a still sleepy Weepinbell out the window. Rina threw her three pokeballs, much to Flo's annoyance as she saw Magikarp flopping about in the grass below. "Well, that was helpful." She glared.

"Just watch. Any moment now it will show you its power."

Five minutes later and it was still splashing on the grass.

"I'm waiting." Flo tapped her foot impatiently, but her Pokémon weren't having any better luck. Wooper had ignored Jigglypuff completely and was investigating the small pond at the bottom of the garden, sniffing all the character ornaments around the pond's edge and activating the movement sensitive lights. Out of everything it was most amused by the sprinklers and, once they were on, it happily played in the spray of water. Jigglypuff seemed unfazed by the water and continued to stare at the girls through the window. Weepinbell had gone back to sleep in one of the flower beds, taking in the sun, and was snoring away, oblivious to its owners fear. Rina's two Slowpoke alternated between dozing and rolling in the mud that Wooper was making with the sprinklers. The lawn was now almost completely ruined.

"Obviously it doesn't like to perform to a crowd." Rina huffed, obviously disappointed that Magikarp had proved her wrong, but she still had hope.

"Jigglypuff, jiggly-ly puff." Jigglypuff's song drifted through the window.

"Ahh! Don't listen!" Flo screamed, clapping her hands over her ears.

Jigglypuff was now waddling forward, its movement slow but deadly.

"What are we going to do?" Rina pulled Flo down below the window.

"This is all your fault! You think of something!" Flo snapped, jumping up as she saw Hoppip floating out the smaller side window and slamming it shut. "Bloody suicidal Pokémon," she grumbled, crawling on her hands and knees back to where Rina was rocking back and forth.

"How is it my fault again?" Rina asked, furrows appearing on her face between her nose as she lapsed back into deep thought.

"You called it fat, remember?" Flo bopped her on the head, trying to get through to the thing she called a brain.

"Oh yeah!" Rina smiled as she finally remembered her first meeting with Jigglypuff. She huffed, her cheeks puffing up and her hair falling into her face. "You would think it would be over that by now."

"Well, you obviously hurt its feelings," Flo said slowly, and then added crossly, "and now it is going to kill us all and it's all your fault."

"Oh." Rina nodded, but Flo could tell she had stopped paying attention. She was probably thinking about her Manga. That was the only thing that could hold said ridiculously short attention span for any length of time.

"My mum is gonna kill me with the state of the garden." Flo lent her head against the cupboard, imagining her mum's reaction. She let out a low moan. She was so dead.

"You think it's gone?" Rina asked.

"Dunno. Let's check."

Flo and Rina slowly straightened up from their crouching positions to look out the window but, stood with its body pressed against the glass, was Jigglypuff. Its brow was scrunched above its round, blue eyes. It looked furious.

"Oh, my sweet Bellossom!" Flo gasped, backing away into the table.

"Jigglyyyyyyyy," the creature sang creepily through the glass, grinning insanely. The two girls screamed at the top of their lungs and rushed upstairs to Flo's bedroom, slamming the door and locking it. They then threw themselves under the bed.

"I wish Kaida and Nila were here," Flo whispered, scared Jigglypuff would hear them and hone in on their location.

"Flo, I'm scared." Rina's lip wobbled and her eyes brimmed with tears.

A crash from downstairs brought Flo to her senses and she pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket.

"What are you doing?" Rina whispered tearfully, but Flo put her finger to her lips as the phone rang.

"Kaida, you have to come home," she whispered quickly.

There was a pause as Rina guessed Kaida was replying.

"Just come home," Flo whined again. "The Jigglypuff that Rina pissed off is trying to kill us."

Another pause and Flo's face was growing red in frustration.

"This is not funny! Stop laughing the pair of you!" Flo banged the carpet with her fist. "No it's not a normal Jigglypuff," she growled.

Rina got the feeling that Kaida and Nila were finding all this all too funny.

"Yes, we tried using our Pokémon against it. Yes, really, Kaida." Flo huffed, not liking how the conversation was going. "Just come home before it eats our organs!"

"Whaaat?!" Rina shrieked, going back deeper into the darkness of Flo's bed.

There was another crash from downstairs as Flo clicked the phone off.

"We are so going to die," Flo whispered, hitting her head on the floor in defeat.

-

While Jigglypuff had been terrorising Flo and Rina, Kaida and Nila had been having their own problems in Violet City while trying to find an appropriate present for Flo.

"Can't we just get her a book?" Nila muttered mutinously as she followed Kaida through another patch of wet grass.

"Do you really think Flo is a book person?" Kaida raised her right eyebrow, holding back a snigger from seeing Nila's grumpy expression.

"Maybe if it had pictures in it," Nila grumbled. How anyone could not adore the power of a good book was a mystery to her. Admittedly her idea of a good book did vary from John's, for example, but at least he appreciated reading. Unlike Flo. "Uneducated philistine," she added, imagining the state of a book after Flo had been at it. The cover would probably be creased, the pages folded over, perhaps even scribbles in the margins…

"If we can't find a cute Pokémon then we will go to the book shop, OK? Will that make you happy?" Kaida waved her arm exasperatedly.

"Yes," Nila said sullenly, adding quickly, "if you buy me a nice, warm hot chocolate."

"Fine, if it means you will actually help…" Kaida glared at her, her green eyes alight with frustration.

Nila just chuckled to herself she liked making Kaida mad plus there was warm milky hot chocolate to be had.

"May I get a cookie with it without having to shove it in my mouth before Rina steals it?" Nila added, thinking of the good old days before Rina where she could actually eat without having to guard her food. She continued, "And even then she tries to pry open my jaw… Kaida, she does not respect my personal boundaries!" Nila scuffed her trainer on the ground and glared at a stray rock, her gaze occasionally flicking to Kaida as if she could actually do anything about Rina.

_Well, that's a lie,_ Kaida thought, _because_ _I could lock her in a cage_. But then she would never annoy Nila so much and annoyed Nila was funny when attacking another person.

"It's too wet out here." Nila's body jerked in revulsion as she examined her wet jeans shorts. Somehow they had still become muddy despite the fact they were knee length. Stomping about must have sprayed mud all over them.

"Well, it has been raining," Kaida shot back.

"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. Care to point out anything else, like, I dunno, the grass is green, the sky is blue and my underwear is soaking," Nila ranted, pulling at her top as more rain started to pour down onto them.

"Well that was a _little _more then I needed to know." Kaida continued on through the rain. She had wisely put all her Pokémon, even Cyndaquil, into Pokéballs, since none of them would appreciate this weather.

"Have I told you how much I hate you today?" Nila yelled through the rain that was increasingly becoming heavier.

"Only five actually," Kaida yelled back. She could tell Nila was glaring daggers into the back of her head. Everything was normal then.

"Ahh, stupid Weedle. Watch where you are going!" Nila shouted at a herd of Weedle who wiggled faster in fear, trying to escape the crazy girl that was threatening to tread on them. "Kaaaidaa," Nila whined. "You know this is torture."

Out here. With the mud. The wet. The dirt. The general lack of hygiene…

"Don't be a baby, it's just a bit of – AHH!" Kaida's sentence was cut off as she stepped through a patch of extremely large grass and vanished out of sight.

"Kaida," Nila yelled in alarm, hurrying over to where she had disappeared in her now completely drenched clothes. As she pushed though the tall grass, Kaida broke the surface of the small lake that she had walked into and glared.

"Don't laugh, don't speak, don't memorise this!" she shouted, pulling pond weed from her hair and wading towards a hysterical Nila who was now on her knees with laughter.

"Do you ever pay attention to what I say?" Kaida kicked the still laughing Nila who looked like she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. "That's it I'm going home, no milk or hot chocolate or whatever for you!" Kaida shouted wringing out her clothes and stomping off towards the town.

"No, no, I'll stop, please. Give. Milk." Nila gasped between laughs. She hurried to her feet and ran to catch up with Kaida who was still rather grumpy. "Can we just get her a book now?"

"Yes." Kaida huffed, annoyed that her idea had failed. "She can like it or lump it."

"And by lump it you mean we hit her?" Nila asked, liking the way the conversation was going.

"Would I suggest anything else?" Kaida grinned evilly.

After finally reaching the bookshop, the two girls had been greeted with glares as they dripped on the carpet. Nila was in heaven as she gazed along the many bookshelves, plucking out books at random and scanning their blurbs. Kaida left her to her own devices and went in search for Flo's birthday present by herself. After much searching she found a small pink book called "Cute Pokémon: where to find them and how to parade them." It was full of information on how to use the Pokémon moves to achieve the best points in contests and, for Flo's pleasure, it included pictures to coo over. Kaida also picked up a book for her pleasure about fire Pokémon and the best tactics and moves to use against certain types.

She showed Nila before she purchased the gift but found Nila not really listening as she continued to read through the four books she had bought but, as Kaida mentioned milk, she followed her upstairs to the cafe area without a fuss after Kaida had bought the two books. They sat down with a mug of hot chocolate with extra milk for Nila and a large, _normal, _hot chocolate for Kaida. However the peace was soon disturbed as, after a few minutes, Kaida's phone vibrated in her pocket, ruining their conversation on battle tactics for Morty. It surprised Kaida that her phone still worked, considering the unexpected bath it had received earlier on.

"Hello?" Kaida whispered, fearing that Nila would kill her for speaking loudly in a bookshop. Or was that the library? Maybe it was both. Nila seemed to expect everyone to treat books with sacred reverence. Except the ones Nila hated. They could mock those mercilessly.

"What? Why?" Nila wrinkled her nose, confused about what sort of conversation she was listening in on. "A Jigglypuff is trying to kill you?!" Kaida burst into fits of laughter.

"What's going on?" Nila hissed at the outburst of loud noise.

"The Jigglypuff that Rina called fat is trying to kill Flo and Rina," Kaida choked out through her laughs.

"Are you serious?" Nila's face looked unbelieving that this weird situation was true.

"Totally." Kaida held up the phone so Nila could hear at the sound of Rina and Flo's squeaks. Soon Nila joined in with laughing at the whimpering girls, who were hiding under a bed.

"It's just a Jigglypuff, Flo." Kaida sighed. Her sides were beginning to hurt from all the laughing. "Well, have you tried, you know, battling it?"

"Them, battle, are you crazy?" Nila snorted, beginning to imitate Rina. "Go Magikarp, you fish god, save me from this giant ball of pinkness."

"You did really?" Kaida gasped. Frankly she was in shock that they had even thought of it. "OK, OK, we are coming. No need to freak out on me." Kaida clicked her phone off and stuffed it back into her cargo trousers. "Come on, we better go save them from that _evil _Jigglypuff"

"Our work is never done." Nila downed the rest of her drink and slammed it back on the table.

When they arrived back at Flo's they found nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was completely silent with no sounds of murderous Jigglypuff anywhere.

"Hellooo?" Kaida called as she pushed open the front door. There was a scuffling noise upstairs but no one came to greet them. Nila went to investigate the kitchen while Kaida stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Flo? Rina? We're home"

"Burning Ho-oh in the sky. Look at the garden!" Nila called from the kitchen.

Kaida groaned and padded towards the kitchen where Nila was looking mightily unimpressed at the muddy Pokémon outside. Flo appeared in the kitchen doorway a few moments later with Rina clinging to her arm.

"Did you see it?" Flo whispered.

"See what?! The mud hole that used to be your garden?!" Nila exclaimed.

"No, the Jigglypuff!" Flo hissed, hiding behind the doorframe.

"It's wearing socks," Rina added. "My socks!"

"Right." Kaida sniggered, slapping Nila's arm as she doubled over in laughter at the thought of a Jigglypuff wearing Rina's weird coloured socks.

"We are telling the truth." Flo scowled as though she was a small child accused of eating all the biscuits when it had in fact been a sibling.

"Of course." Kaida grabbed the chair, which Flo had knocked on the floor in her escape to her room, and placed it by the back door so she could stand on it to unlock the many locks that Flo has deemed necessary to keep out a Jigglypuff. As the door opened, a wet and extremely muddy Wooper came sliding in, leaving a muddy trail behind it. Hoppip followed happily, doing its splash dance and looking very pleased with itself. Rina's Slowpoke were still snoozing in the mud and Magikarp had managed to splash its way to the pond and was enjoying a little swim.

"Where's Psyduck?" Kaida frowned, counting off the Pokémon.

"Sat in the coat cupboard with a headache. It always has a stupid headache," Flo muttered, pulling herself up onto the kitchen table now that the coast was clear.

"And Togepi?" Flo's eyes bulged out in shock. Where _was _Togepi?!

"Holy Houndour on a Poffin." Flo dived off the table, almost slipping over the mud trail that Wooper had left. "TOGEPI?! Where are you? Don't play games with mama!"

"Rina, go turn off the sprinklers, would you?" Kaida asked, filling the sink with hot soapy water so she could get the mud off Wooper.

"You know," Kaida whispered to Nila, who threw Wooper into the large sink. "Hoppip looks a bit too pleased with itself"

"Mmm. I noticed that too. Think it was what drove Jigglypuff off?"

Kaida nodded, rubbing Wooper's head with a cloth to get off the hard mud.

"Methinks it knows more than it's letting Flo in on," Kaida continued.

Hoppip paused as it floated past their conversation and gave them a wide eyed pleading stare.

"Your secret is safe," Kaida told it. "You can remain Super Hoppip."

Hoppip smiled and floated on, seemingly singing to itself.

"You do think Flo will ever realise?" Nila asked, bored. She already knew the answer.

"I'm gonna say no," Kaida answered, lifting a happy Wooper out of the sink and onto the waiting tea towel that Nila had found.

"She's doing it again." Nila growled, pointing to Rina who, instead of turning off the sprinklers, was now dancing in them much like Wooper had done. "Excuse me, I have some business to attend too." Nila smirked, grabbing a mop from the cupboard and heading outside into the wet and muddy garden.

"Well Rina is going to regret this." Kaida watched from the window with Wooper and Hoppip as Nila chased Rina round the garden with the mop. Rina looked utterly terrified as Nila didn't look too friendly with her wet hair draped over her face and her eyes full of anger.

"Tonight is gonna be fun isn't it," she said rhetorically, then smiling as she heard Flo crash around up stairs and decided that now was probably the best time to go wrap her present.


	27. Chapter 27: a million fashion crimes

**27. A million fashion crimes**

When Flo's mother returned an hour later, Rina was still hiding in the garden while Nila sat by the kitchen door, mop in hand, with a glass of milk on the table. Flo had managed to find Togepi curled up asleep in the airing cupboard and was now ringing up all her guests to check that they were coming. Kaida was happily reading her book upstairs when she heard Flo's mother screaming at the girls downstairs about the state of the garden and the kitchen. A few thundering steps later and Nila appeared in their shared room, looking most annoyed.

"Next time Jigglypuff calls… I say we give it what it wants: Rina."

"That's fine with me. No flatulent Slowpoke after dinner time is always a good thing," Kaida agreed, not taking her eyes away from her new book.

"Now I'm going to have a shower to ease my emotional pain." Nila grabbed her towel from the radiator and hurried off into the bathroom, Kaida had a feeling she would be in there for a while; she seemed to have been subject to a lot of emotional pain. As Kaida heard the water start to run, Flo burst into the room, looking moody.

"My mother is not happy," she grumbled, flopping down onto Kaida's bed, rocking her snoozing Pokémon who seemed to take no notice, except Eevee, who moved closer to Kaida for safety.

"I noticed." Kaida sighed, shutting her book. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be a short visit as Flo seemed to be perking up.

"So tonight is going to be awesome." She giggled, bouncing the bed again causing Gastly to wake up and glare at her before moving across to Nila's bed.

"Why are you having your party the day before your birthday?" Kaida flopped around so she was now staring at the ceiling. Cyndaquil sleepily crawled on to her belly and continued to snooze.

"Because it is a tradition. Party first, presents later," Flo said simply. "I have the perfect dress for tonight."

"Is it a Bellsprout dress?" Kaida enquired, a smirk playing on her face as she recalled the Bellsprout outfit from their first meeting.

"No!" Flo slapped Kaida's leg and huffed. "It's blue for a start. Anyway, what are you wearing tonight?"

Kaida tugged the clothes she was wearing: her red t-shirt and black combat trousers.

"These?" Kaida guessed but Flo's face showed that she had guessed poorly. "What's wrong with them?"

"Well, how are you going to get noticed if you cover up like that? You need to flaunt a little skin," Flo explained, sounding like a mother telling the difference between right and wrong.

"Excuse me?" Kaida's voice raised several levels. "Who is meant to notice me and why do you want me to go naked?"

"Not naked per say," Flo said slowly. "Just… You need to flaunt the good bits."

Kaida glared. She did not like this conversation one bit.

"And, you know, there are going to be boys at my party tonight." Flo wiggled her eyebrows and giggled again.

Nila, who had pushed the bathroom door open, stuck her head out and looked at them, bemused.

"Are you trying to set Kaida up again?"

"Well since Matt is taking his time I thought–"

Thunk!

Flo was cut off swiftly by Kaida and her amazing pillowing fighting abilities that sent Flo crashing to the floor.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Me and Matt are just friends." Kaida growled, pushing her face into the pillow and screaming.

"Matt and I," Nila corrected.

Kaida emerged from the pillow and glared fiercely.

"And," Nila added quickly, addressing Flo. "How many times do we have to tell you?! Don't piss off the redhead!"

Nila finally emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, with her hair wrapped up in a hand towel. She entered the room and threw her wet towel onto Flo, who was already groaning about her sore parts. Nila glanced out the window and smirked to herself as she watched Rina being dragged in from the garden by Flo's mother and her kitchen tongs.

"Well, we have two hours left before party time," Flo sang happily. "I must go prepare myself." She was out of the door in seconds. Nila had never seen her move so fast. "Now remember to please try and make an effort with your clothes. I know it's hard for you two." Flo giggled again and received another pillow to the face and some rather rude words.

Two hours passed. Rina was now mud free and being dressed up by Flo and Kaida and Nila had completely ignored Flo's pleas to wear dresses. Kaida had dug out her old black skirt she saved for emergencies, such as when all her clothes were dirty or it was so hot you could fry an egg on the pavement. Nila had refused to change since her shower, arguing that it was a waste of clothes. Flo's mother had left the house for the night to stay with a friend, leaving the girls in charge of the party. They were under strict instructions not to set anything on fire, wreck the garden any more, break the antiques, and, finally, if anybody threw up then they had to clean it up. Kaida was a bit confused as to what she expected to happen: no one was coming over the age of twelve so how much trouble could they cause?

Kaida and Nila were still discussing the potential damage that a group of twelve year olds could do in the living room when Rina appeared at door. She was dressed in a bright green dress that looked as though it was a many tiered cake. As the dress met her knees, the outfit went on to her purple socks, which had multicoloured dots all over them. Rina grinned, obviously happy with what Flo had picked out with her, and began to twirl around the room. Hoppip quickly dodged out the way. A moment later Flo flew round the door frame.

"How do I look?" she asked the room.

Everyone was silent. The dress was more then a bit odd but they shouldn't have expected anything less. Flo was wearing a blue floaty dress that appeared to fade into a weird shade of aqua at the bottom. Along the right strap, and leading to the chest, there were many poofy flowers made of the same material popping out. It reminded Nila of the bottom of the sea and so she told Flo this.

"OK… But do I look good in it?" Flo pushed.

"It's, umm, very... You?" Kaida tried, hoping that it would satisfy her.

Luckily it did and Flo didn't ask anymore and went to put some music on.

"What is she wearing?" Nila hissed. "It looks like the sea threw up on her!"

"I know, but we can't tell her that," Kaida whispered back. "What if she changes into an even worse outfit?"

"Could it get any worse?" Nila muttered dryly.

"You know what she's capable of," Kaida warned, placing a distressed Cyndaquil onto her shoulder. Rina wasn't watching where she was dancing and poor Cyndaquil was pretty scared of her purple feet.

The door bell rang, breaking Rina out of her dancing daze. She wandered over to the food tables in the corner, probably searching for cookies. Flo returned from answering the door followed by a few people that Kaida guessed she knew from dancing because all of them seemed to be dressed the same, just in different colours, which was quite confusing.

"Are all the people in Violet City crazy?" Nila frowned as more new people came in wearing jester hats.

"I'm thinking... Yes." Kaida grimaced as a girl wearing a bright orange dress walked in: she looked the spiting image of a pumpkin.

"Cynda!" The little Pokémon nodded. It didn't seem to sure about all the new people. They all looked insane.

Soon the room was filled with lots of people, even spilling out into the hall, the kitchen, and outside. Nila had double checked many times that the bedroom that she and Kaida shared was locked. They didn't want to find any creepy people up there, waiting for them after the party. Flo was happy being in the spot light and was enjoying all the attention and gifts. The gifts were now all piled up in the corner of the room, reaching up towards the ceiling.

"You think anyone had the sense to buy dancing lessons?" Kaida nudged Nila as they went and grabbed food from the buffet.

"These people don't look the wisest." Nila eyed a boy outside that had a glass bottle stuck on his finger and was preparing to whack it against the side of the house. "Is that a beer bottle?"

Kaida shrugged and continued to put pizza slices onto her plate while Nila wandered off to confront Flo. Kaida noticed that Wooper was swimming in the fruit punch bowl and Togepi was happily playing on the buffet table, tipping the salt in the salt shaker into the sugar bowl. She made a mental note not to touch anything that was meant to be covered in sugar unless it came fresh out of a packet or, for that matter, to accept any punch. It wasn't just that a Pokémon was now submerged in it: she had thought it was non-alcoholic but, judging by the behaviour of many people at the party, she had reconsidered.

"Kaida," Rina whispered. "Could you pass me a cookie please?"

"Umm, yeah." Kaida grabbed one of the last remaining cookies off the table. "Wait, where are you?" Kaida asked, quickly looking round the room. She then felt a small tug on her skirt and looked down to see Rina looking up at her from under the table. "What are you doing down there?"

"There's too many people out there. Wonky and Wally don't like it," she answered in a childlike tone.

"And you don't either I'm guessing."

Rina nodded, taking the cookie Kaida passed her.

"Don't worry; it will all be over soon... I hope. And if not… I'll be joining you under that table." Kaida patted Rina's head as she nibbled the cookie and continued to pull Togepi away from the other dips and sauces it could potentially mix up. It was certainly a troublesome baby.

Nila had managed to find Flo in a crowd of her dancing buddies, telling them about her cute Pokémon. Flo herself was clutching a bottle or clear liquid that Nila knew better than to think was water.

"Flo," she boomed, grabbing Flo by the arm and pulling her to an empty space. "You are twelve not eighteen!"

"I'm aware of that" Flo stated slowly, confused as to what Nila was getting at.

"Then why are you drinking?" Nila scowled. She did not like being treated like an idiot.

"Because I can. Now if you'll excuse me, I have guests." Flo laughed and turned, but Nila caught her with her vice-like grip.

"Listen, you spoilt little brat, you may be the star tonight–" Nila tightened her grip, causing Flo to pull a pained face "–but when all these people go home, you will have to face me alone. Rina won't help you, Kaida won't help you, and your Pokémon certainly won't help you. Now stop being a spoilt little princess and return the alcohol back to your mother or you will feel my foot up your arse."

Nila released Flo's arm, giving her one last warning look, before walking back to Kaida and the food. Flo stood shocked as she watched Nila walk away. She forgotten how different her Violet City friends were to the ones that she travelled with. As Nila and Kaida were from a small town, they had never been introduced to the late night partying in bars and clubs like Flo had seen her whole life, and what she had dreamt of having since she was a young girl. Looking at the party, where people were stumbling around and throwing up in the street outside, she realised that maybe the life she had seen through her window wasn't as fun as she had imagined. She shook her head as she remembered how she had acted: Nila was right, she had acted like a spoilt brat when grabbing gifts as people came in the door, laughing at other people's clothes with her dance friends, even though they had been nice enough to bring her a gift, and talking about which boy was most likely get drunk enough to kiss her. Suddenly she didn't want this party any more, and was about to announce it to the party, when the girl of her nightmares decided now was the best time to voice her opinion.

"You call this a party?" the girl spat, her orange pigtails swinging by her ears.

Oh, how Flo wanted to chop them off…

"Ahh Macy," she drawled, summoning up as much confidence as possible to deal with her nemesis. "Jealously is such a curse."

"Well, here's something for you, I won the Bellsprout dance, and you were so scared you didn't show up!" The girl laughed. Apparently her own voice amused her a lot.

"I wasn't there because I had better things to do," Flo said through gritted teeth.

"Oh? And what was that? Buy some better clothes? Ooh, oops, looking at your outfit, I would say you failed." The girl giggled again. Her smugness was wearing thin on Flo's nerves.

"Coming from you in that pink dress. Clash much?" Flo smirked as the girls sickly grin faltered. "I now travel with some of the greatest Pokémon trainers that Johto has ever seen." Flo puffed up proudly.

"Oh yeah! How many badges do they have?" she demanded.

"Oh, you know, six."

This was, strictly speaking, true, as both Kaida and Nila had three badges each and together that _did _make six. Inside she was screaming in joy as the smile completely slipped from Macy's face. "Well, if you'll excuse me, this party is over, and I have more important people to spend my time with so take your little kiddie pig tails and get the hell out of my house!" Flo ended up shouting the last part, causing everyone to turn and look at her. The pigtailed girl turned on her heel and stomped out the front door, dragging some of her friends with her as she left.

"Woo. Go Flo!" Kaida called from the buffet table. Next to Kaida, Nila gave her a nod, which Flo knew to be her equivalent of 'good job,' and Rina even poked her hand out from under the table cloth, giving her the thumbs up.

"That's right everyone, the party is over. Bye bye now!"

Flo mockingly waved out the rest of the guests, who looked a little disappointed that the party was over. Nila guessed it was more because of the alcohol then the host. In a few minutes the house was clear, searched top to bottom by Nila: she didn't want any nasty surprises in the morning.

"Well that was, umm, nice," Kaida announced lamely.

"Yeah, for all two hours of it," Flo agreed, "and now we have to eat all this food by ourselves."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Kaida pointed to her rumbling stomach and at Rina's eager face. "Slob fest anyone?"

"As long as we don't watch and cheesy romantic films," Nila said. "I might throw up."

The four girls and their Pokémon stayed up into the early hours of the morning, watching films and eating as much of the party food as they could manage but, at two in the morning, they called it a night, dragging Flo away from the tower of presents and promising her that she could open them at the crack of dawn.

-

The next morning Flo was up at the crack of dawn, just like she had promised she would be. Having pulled Rina out of bed, she was feeling lucky, and decided to wake up Kaida and Nila, which, from her travels with them, she knew was a hard task and a dangerous one at that. She placed Wooper in-between the two beds and instructed it to use Water Gun upwards so the spray would hit both of them. As the water hit the pair, Kaida screamed so loudly that Wooper fell over in fright and Nila's fist was waving about furiously, hoping to catch the perpetrator. Unluckily for her, Flo was hiding behind the door and just laughed in response to their reactions and ran downstairs before they could get up.

Flo had ripped her way through a quarter of her presents by the time Kaida and Nila got downstairs. Rina was happily playing with the shiny wrapping paper that Flo had discarded along with Hoppip and Togepi, who were enjoying the vast array of coloured paper.

"Here is our present." Kaida handed her the little wrapped book, noticing none of the presents she had unwrapped so far were anything even similar to a book, but at least Flo wouldn't run out of leg warmers and chocolate any time soon.

"Be thankful. We battled through terrifying weather to get that," Nila added, before padding off to the kitchen for her morning glass of apple juice.

Flo unwrapped the present quickly and grinned as she saw what it was.

"Open it," Kaida whispered.

Flo obeyed and saw a little slip of paper on the contents page. Turning it over, she grinned as she saw Kaida's handwriting. It read: 'I owe you one Bellsprout/ a cute Pokémon of your choice.'

"You realise I'm going to keep this with me at all times until you have fulfilled this promise?"

Kaida nodded solemnly.

"Looks like I'm gonna be stuck with you annoying me a while longer."

"Thank you."

Flo reached up and pulled Kaida down for a hug. Kaida hoped she knew better then to do that with Nila, who had just come back in the room.

"Thanks Nila!"

Flo waved the book and Nila waved her on dismissively. She couldn't deal with loud noises this early in the morning.

"Me next," Rina chirped. "I got this with my amazing Magikarp and I know you love cute Pokémon so it's perfect for you."

"She stole our idea!" Kaida hissed.

"Wait for it." Nila sniggered. "It's Rina so _anything_ could come out of that Pokéball."

"Oh my gosh! Thank you, Rin–ahhhh!" Flo finished with a scream as the Pokémon burst out of the Pokéball and lunged at her.

"Grime, grime!"

It hugged her happily. Kaida and Nila were already in fits of laughter. Only Rina would believe that Flo would think a Grimer to be cute.

"Get it off, get it off!" Flo continued to scream, pushing against the slimy creature, desperately trying to escape.

"Grimer, grime," it said happily, releasing Flo and turning to hug Rina, who returned the hug with glee.

"You call that cute!" Flo shrieked and then screamed as she looked down to see purple slime on her pyjamas.

But Grimer had now turned on Nila, who was climbing over the back of the sofa to escape. Unfortunately she miscalculated her drop and landed on her arse where Grimer joyfully caught her and hugged her tightly.

"Ahhhh! It's so unclean!" she yelled, wriggling around on the floor, trying to escape its grasp. Hoppip and Togepi were watching in awe as Grimer still held on tightly, determined to make the hug last.

"Kaida, get the frying pan!" Nila growled, trying to kick off the purple blob.

"But John isn't here! He took my trusty weapon with him," Kaida replied, not seeing how a frying pan was going to defeat a mound of goo anyway.

"Damn him to hell!" Nila hissed. "Rina, I blame you for this!"

"I get the blame for everything!" Rina pouted.

"Yes, but this time it is your fault." Kaida reasoned. It was as she had bought the overly friendly Grimer into their lives. Finally Grimer released Nila and smiled proudly.

"Never again," she hissed at its happy figure. "Never again!"

"Please just recall it!" Kaida shouted, as it had now attached itself to her leg as she had tried to run away.

Flo obliged, still looking disgusted by the slime it had left on her. Nila was livid and she tore upstairs to clean the purple sludge from her clothes, skin, and even her hair. She was followed by Flo, who announced she needed to be sludge free to open presents.

"Well, I think he's cute!" Rina huffed, regaining interest in the shiny paper again.

"Well, you keep telling yourself that. Are you gonna wash that goo off you?" Kaida asked, yanking off her pyjama bottoms.

"I wonder if it tastes nice," Rina pondered aloud, scooping a bit off her with her finger.

"No, Rina, just n–EWW!" Kaida yelled. She jumped up and down in horror, determinedly _not looking_ as Rina removed the finger from her mouth. Grimer were made from _sewage!_ That was _foul_!

"You know," Rina concluded thoughtfully, "it really isn't that nice."

She returned to the shiny paper once more.

"You really are a freak, aren't you?" Kaida cried, rushing upstairs to avoid Rina asking if she would like to try some or something equally horrific.

Soon the day was over and Flo had received enough bath products, socks and chocolate to sink a small ship. Her mum had also given her some more of the classic fashion disaster clothes, which Kaida and Nila had had to stifle their snickering about because they were getting quite scared of Flo's mum when she was angry.

However, nothing scared them more then an angry Nila covered in purple slime.


	28. Chapter 28: doggies and dotty Pokémon

**28. Cute doggies and dotty Pokémon**

After the debacle that was Flo's party they were able to set off again. However, first they needed some new supplies so headed to the shops in Violet City. Kaida and Nila made a long list for Flo and Rina and sent them off to the supermarket for food.

"They're going to come back with baskets of cookies," Nila predicted.

Kaida disagreed. "If that happened they would come back with nothing. Have you _seen_ how quickly Rina eats those things? She's like a machine." She paused. "Or Reid's Snorlax."

They went to the home ware shop to find some disposable barbeques, knowing that without John their chances for a good meal were minimal. They also picked up a few other bits and bobs for camping, including pegs for the tent, since they had mysteriously disappeared. Kaida and Nila both blamed Rina. When they emerged from the shop, Chikorita and Cyndaquil in tow, they ran into a familiar face.

"Falkner." Nila greeted the gym leader with a nod.

Falkner squinted at them and their Pokémon, trying to place them in his memory, and then smiled. "Oh, right, I battled you months ago. Um, Kaida and Nila?"

They nodded, a little surprised that he had remembered their names since he probably faced hundreds of trainers, all clamouring for the badge so they could be one step closer to entering the Silver League.

"I remember the people who beat me," Falkner explained.

There was a sudden giggling and Kaida and Nila peered around Falkner to see a small gaggle of girls, who threw themselves behind the wall of the building in an effort to hide themselves. They were fan girls, clearly, and they weren't very subtle.

"So all gym leaders have stalkers?" Kaida wondered aloud.

"Bugsy didn't," Nila pointed out.

"Bugsy was only a bit older than us!" Kaida said.

Falkner glanced over his shoulder at the girls, who were sticking their heads around the wall to catch another glimpse of him.

"Is that the girl Flo hates?" Nila said. She thought she'd seen orange pigtails.

"I wouldn't put it past Flo to do the same," Kaida muttered.

They tried their best to ignore the whispering girls and turned their attention back to Falkner.

"How many badges do you have now?" Falkner asked.

"Three," they replied in unison.

"We should battle again, if you're back in town," Falkner suggested.

Kaida and Nila exchanged a look, wondering whether they had the time. They were supposed to be leaving for Ecruteak to catch up with John and Reid, who had now been there for some time. Plus, could they really leave Rina and Flo to their own devices for any longer?

"If you're worried about losing," Falkner said with a smirk, "then don't worry. I can't take your badges back. They're yours."

This incited Kaida straight away. "Losing!" she scoffed. "I'm not going to lose! I've got loads stronger!"

"Then let's battle," Falkner said simply

The smirk was still on his face as he turned and Kaida and Nila could have sworn that one of the girls gasped loudly and fainted at the sight of it. Certainly, when they followed Falkner and walked past the gang, they heard them muttering, "So cool, so handsome, so powerful!" It was a little creepy, Kaida thought. She wondered whether insane people would stalk her when she had her gym. Her forehead crinkled in distaste at the thought of it. The only person that she wanted to fancy her was Matt and she certainly wouldn't want him fainting around her like those fan girls.

His gym was empty except for two small boys playing with a Pidgey in one corner and, when he led them out the back, they came face to face immediately with a large, grumpy-looking Dodrio. It stomped one foot on the ground and swung all of its three heads to peer at them crossly.

"Ignore it," Falkner said, patting his Pokémon on the back. "Dodrio has been in a bad mood since he lost to an Electabuzz last week. We hate losing to electric Pokémon." Falkner gave a rather accusing look to Nila here. "People always think of the weakness against electricity when they think of birds but there is a lot more to bird Pokémon than that!"

"I battled you with one Pokémon weak against birds too," Nila reminded him, looking over to her Chikorita with, if Kaida didn't know better, an almost fond expression. Then Nila looked back to Falkner with a glint in her eye. "So don't be a sore loser."

Falkner looked back at her with one narrowed eye – the other shielded by his floppy hair – and then he shrugged and conceded. "Who's battling me then?"

"I will!" Kaida said eagerly. "Come on, Growlithe!"

She had been looking for a good opportunity to train up Growlithe and here it was.

"Dodrio!" The bird Pokémon stamped its foot a few more times. "Use Agility!"

"You can do that too, Growlithe!" Kaida said.

As Dodrio became a flashing blur from its speed attack, so did Growlithe. They circled each other around the pitch, with Dodrio's heads lashing out and Growlithe leaping away.

"Flamethrower!" Kaida ordered.

Growlithe let out the jet of fire but Dodrio dodged it, opting for a Fury Attack. Its three heads converged on Growlithe, who could scarcely avoid the first one as its beaks snapped wildly. It was struck once, twice, and then it managed to gather itself and retaliate, using the close quarters to launch its own Crunch attack, biting down hard. Dodrio shook Growlithe off, sending the smaller Pokémon flying several feet. It landed upright and Kaida urged it to attack again.

As Growlithe let out a Flamethrower, Dodrio jumped higher than either Kaida or Nila thought it possibly could. Growlithe stopped the attack and looked up as Dodrio came hurtling back down. The fire Pokémon leapt backwards just in time as Dodrio came crashing to the ground. That heavy weight would have been a knock out, Kaida thought, but fortunately Growlithe had avoided it.

"Use Drill Peck!"

"When it gets close use Flamethrower!"

One of Dodrio's weaknesses seemed, to Kaida, to be that it needed to get close to use its physical attacks, which opened up the opportunity for Growlithe to strike back. Growlithe managed to hit it with a Flamethrower but Dodrio's furious Drill Peck soon halted this attack. Both Pokémon broke apart to regroup. Then Kaida's theory was shattered.

"Tri Attack!"

An enormously powerful attack, of lighting, water, and fire, exploded into Growlithe, who held its ground but was weakened considerably. Growlithe retaliated with Flamethrower but Dodrio jumped again, with less height this time, and Growlithe missed its smack down by inches. Both Pokémon backed off and started to circle each other.

"Impressive," Falkner admitted. "Although I think your Growlithe is more suited to physical moves too, rather than Flamethrower."

Kaida frowned. Flamethrower was her favourite fire attack and Growlithe used it commendably.

"There's not that much difference," Falkner continued, "but I think physical moves suit it better. Does it know Fire Fang?"

"Yes," Kaida said.

"Try that," Falkner advised.

Kaida knew Falkner had a lot more experience than she did but she couldn't help but wonder if he was right about this. Growlithe was good at physical attacks and non-physical attacks and Flamethrower was a much more powerful move than Fire Fang.

"I'll have to end it there," Falkner said regretfully. "I have a gym battle appointment with a boy all the way from Mahogany. This was fun though. You're much stronger now. Are you around tomorrow?"

"We have to leave for Ecruteak," Kaida told him, also feeling disappointed. It had been an interesting battle and, without the high pressure to obtain her first gym badge, it was fun in a more carefree way.

"Come and see me, both of you, if you're ever back in Violet," Falkner instructed. "Hopefully I'll have a clearer schedule then."

They left the gym and Kaida thought about what Falkner had said. She knew some Pokémon favoured physical attacks over non-physical, special, attacks, but Growlithe seemed to be good at both. Was it best to focus on one type then? She'd have to think about it. For now Flamethrower was working well!

Rina and Flo weren't back at Flo's house so they went to the supermarket to pick them up. They found them _still _walking around and Rina was munching on packet of cookies. There were two empty wrappers in their bag. Kaida grabbed the cookies to prevent Rina from eating anymore – she already had crumbs all over her cheeks – and Nila picked up the final food supplies. They then took them to the tills to pay and glared pointedly at Rina when the woman at the till gave them some funny looks for the empty cookie packets that she had to scan.

When finally ready to go, with all the necessary equipment, they ran into other problems because Flo didn't want to leave her presents. They tried to tear her away, giving her a guilt trip about a hurt John waiting for them in Ecruteak. When that didn't work they used threats.

"You don't even have to come," Nila said finally. "There are plenty of Bellsprout around here. You can find one and catch one and train it for the dance."

Flo looked awkward. It seemed like she enjoyed travelling with them more than she would like to admit. Eventually she pulled a face. "No, Kaida has to catch me a Bellsprout and that's final!"

Nila rolled her eyes. Kaida sighed. One little dustbin incident and she was indebted for life… Honestly. It wasn't like Flo hadn't deserved it!

In the end the four stayed together as they set off for Ecruteak City to meet up with the boys. It would take them a while to get there – the route was long and up hill – and they didn't have John ready to put Rina in the "sin bin" if she misbehaved. This meant that tensions were high and an argument was waiting to happen. In the end it was over a Pokémon that Nila and Kaida spotted as they finally reached the north route.

"Look at its fiery cuteness!" Kaida squealed, grabbing a Pokéball.

"No, look at its dark cuteness!" Nila shot back, seizing her own Pokéball.

"Houndour," Nila's Pokédex declared as Flo took it from her bag. "A dual type Pokémon of dark and fire. It uses different kinds of cries for communicating with others of its kind and for pursuing its prey."

"Hey," Rina chirped. "Kaida's Pokédex says something different!"

She held it up and let it play. Kaida and Nila whirled around and glared at the other two girls.

"Don't touch my stuff!" Nila said crossly.

Flo put up her hands in surrender and put the Pokédex back down. Rina ignored this and continued to play with the buttons, which meant Kaida had to march forward and snatch it from her. When Kaida turned around again, Nila had sneaked closer to the Houndour, who looked skittish and like it might try to run away.

"Nila! Get back!" Kaida said. "I saw it first!"

"No you didn't!" Nila argued.

"Well…" Kaida blustered, "It's a fire Pokémon. You know I want to catch all of those! It's mine! Back off!"

"It's a dark type too," Nila said. "The Pokédex said dark first."

"So what?" Kaida said. "It breathes fire!"

Nila narrowed her eyes. "I don't have _any _dark Pokémon you selfish cow. You have loads of fire Pokémon!"

"It's not my fault you're rubbish at catching Pokémon!" Kaida retorted.

Nila and Kaida looked like they might come to blows over this Pokémon, which Flo found extremely alarming because they hadn't fought before. She decided that she would have to mediate.

"Wow, guys, calm down," she began.

"Shut up!" they shouted in unison.

Flo slumped and pouted. Fine then. They could bear each other up for all she cared…

"Go, Sandslash!" Nila said. "Use Sand Tomb! Trap that Houndour!"

Houndour bolted but the emerging Sandslash was quicker, using its attack quickly and effectively to suck Houndour into the ground and keep it there.

"Hey!" Kaida yelled. "Cyndaquil! Use Flamethrower!"

The fire hit Houndour but had no effect. It only made Houndour stronger as it began to struggle free from the Sand Tomb attack.

"Well done, idiot," Nila said, smacking Kaida around the back of the head. "Its ability is Flash Fire! It just gets more powerful when you hit it with that!"

Houndour let a roaring Flamethrower fly towards Sandslash. Sandslash dodged and retaliated with Swift.

"Well, I don't have to use fire," Kaida said. "Go, Growlithe! Use Crunch!"

"On a dark type!" Nila said scathingly. "That won't have much effect at all."

"Will you shut up!" Kaida said furiously. "You're putting me off!"

"Good," Nila said. "This is _my _Pokémon."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

While Kaida and Nila faced each other and fought furiously, Rina was doing something entirely different. Flo had sat down on a rock in a huff, wondering when the arguing would stop, and wasn't paying much attention to her bag. So, when Rina withdrew a Pokéball, she didn't notice at all. Rina walked forwards and threw it at the Houndour. It shook once, twice, three times, and then stopped.

"Woo!" Rina yelled happily. "I caught my first Pokémon!"

Kaida and Nila whirled on her. They saw her pick up the Pokéball happily.

"Cute doggy," Rina said.

"Kill her," said Kaida.

Kaida and Nila both swelled up and let rip on Rina. Flo winced. Rina was really in for it this time. Then she looked down and noticed her open bag. A few Pokéballs were spilling out. Wait a second…

"Is that _my _Pokéball?" she screamed, her voice getting higher and higher in pitch until it was almost unintelligible. "Rina, you thief! I can't believe you!"

Three furious girls rounded on Rina, who seemed mostly oblivious as she cooed at the Pokéball, calling Houndour a cute little doggy.

"I'll battle you for it," Nila said.

"I dunno," Rina said. "I don't feel like it."

"Because you know you'll lose!" Nila said crossly.

"Well, you can't keep it! It's not your Pokéball!" Kaida insisted.

Nila and Kaida both turned on Flo.

"Yeah, it is Flo's. And she'll give it to me, won't you? Flo?" Nila said dangerously, narrowing her eyes in a silent threat.

Kaida gave Flo a look that promised more dustbins would come flying her way if she didn't agree with her. "No," she said. "Flo will give it to _me_."

Flo eeped. Somehow the missing Pokéball didn't seem too significant now. This was all Rina's fault! Now she'd been dragged into it.

"Eh," Rina said, "I don't want it."

She gave it to Flo. Flo looked at the Pokéball in her hand and then up at the two angry faces in front of her. She gulped.

"Um, whoever catches it can have it!" she said, throwing it in the air and scuttling out of the way. Phew. Close save.

Nila elbowed Kaida sharply and reached up and grabbed the Pokéball easily.

"That's not fair!" Kaida objected. "She's taller."

"It's not my fault that you're a midget," Nila said nastily, cradling the Pokéball.

"I'll kill you slowly," Kaida hissed, glaring. She was not short! She was just slightly vertically challenged! It was Nila who was the tall freak of admittedly average height… Damn it!

"You know what," Kaida said. "_Fine_. I can always catch another one."

Houndour were fairly rare. This might not happen easily. However, Kaida did have to concede that dark Pokémon were a lot rarer than fire Pokémon in Johto, despite the fact that the fire type were also a little scarce. She had Cyndaquil and Growlithe and Kaida didn't have anything.

"Thanks," Nila said tersely.

Kaida gave a small smile. Nila smiled back. All was forgiven.

"So we better get going," Kaida said. "We've got to meet up with John. No time to waste. Flo get off your rear end. We have to leave!"

"Hurry up," Nila said.

Flo gaped. Was this _normal _behaviour? She scooped up her stuff and started to follow as Kaida and Nila set a brisk pace, now joking about Rina and Flo being slower than snails. Flo grumbled. Apparently their fights blew over insanely quickly and they were quick to turn on her. It wasn't fair. She glared at Rina.

"You owe me a Pokéball," she said.

"Meh," Rina said. Her nose was buried in her manga.

Flo hoped she tripped over a pothole. Unfortunately Flo had the clumsy gene and, five minutes later, she was the one flat on her face.

-

A day later and they were much closer to Ecruteak City but, as they stopped for lunch, they were interrupted. They released all of their Pokémon and Kaida and Flo attempted to make some lunch that didn't quite come to John's impeccable standards, perhaps because Kaida had to keep slapping Rina away from the cheese, which was very distracting. Their Pokémon wandered about as Nila poured their food into bowls, careful to keep her distance from Grimer, who was still hunting for hugs.

"Grime?" it asked.

Nila backed away. "Oh no you don't!"

Grimer spread its arms wider but Nila had speedily retreated to the other side of the makeshift campsite.

"Rina, put that down," Kaida snapped. "That's a Poffin!"

Rina cocked her head to one side in confusion.

"It's for Pokémon, for the last time!" Kaida said, exasperated.

Rina put it in her mouth and chewed it. "Spicy," she said.

"That was for my Pokémon!" Flo screeched, abandoning heating up the soup to dive on Rina. She attempted to wrestle the bag of Poffins away but Rina had a vice like grip on it and she was unsuccessful.

"Help me!" Flo wailed.

"Want some cheese?" Kaida sighed.

"Cheese!" Rina said, letting go of the bag instantly, which caused Flo to fall backwards.

They were then interrupted by a large squeal and, to Kaida's horror, someone in a bizarre red and yellow spotted coat launched herself on Cyndaquil, who fired up his flame in shock as a reflex action. The girl leapt backwards just in time.

"Hey!" Kaida said crossly. "That's _my _Cyndaquil!"

"But its so cute and spotty!" the girl said. "I love spotty Pokémon!"

"Well… Get away from _my _spotty Pokémon," Kaida said possessively.

Cyndaquil ran and hid behind Kaida. Its flame extinguished byt it still looked wary.

"Sorry," the girl apologised. "I just got carried away."

"Do you want to have some soup?" Flo offered.

Kaida glared at her. This crazy psycho had attacked Cyndaquil and now they were giving her lunch? Plus, her coat was ugly.

"I'm Janie," the girl said happily as she slurped down some of the soup. "I'm gonna be the Pokémon Master but with a twist! I'm only gonna use spotty Pokémon."

Nila gave Kaida a longsuffering look. The girl was too chirpy for her tastes.

The girl's Pokémon wandered by her side. They were all spotty. She had a Ledyba that was trying to steal food from an irritated Chikorita, a Paras that was clicking its claws at a giggling Wooper, and two Gloom. One sat by Janie's side and the other was drooling over Rina's cheese. Rina had kicked it back several times but that didn't seem to stop it.

"I don't think there actually are that many spotty Pokémon though," Flo mused.

Then the girl spotted Flo's Weepinbell.

"Ooo," she said. "Your Weepinbell is quite spotty. Also, if you evolve it into Victreebel… Can I trade you for it?"

"No!"

"Not even for a Gloom?"

Flo looked at the horrible drooling Pokémon and shuddered.

"It is ugly," she said.

"But with a sun stone you can evolve it into Bellossom," Janie urged. "That is cute."

Flo didn't know what a Bellossom looked like so Kaida showed her on her Pokédex. Flo squealed. That _was _cute. Plus John had the sun stone from the contest. Maybe he would give it to her if she pleaded enough… But… It was her Weepinbell… Her first ever Pokémon.

"No," she said firmly.

Janie's face fell.

"Aw, you love your Weepinbell really," Kaida taunted.

Weepinbell perked up. It was loved after all?

"I loved it more as a Bellsprout!" Flo shouted at Kaida, once again furious.

Weepinbell drooped. It shouldn't continue to get its hopes up…

"I'm definitely gonna be Pokémon Master," Janie said happily.

"But all your Pokémon are grass, poison, and bug types," Kaida pointed out. "That's not a well balanced team."

Nila snorted. Kaida was one to talk. All she seemed to want to collect was the fire type. She did have Gastly and Eevee but Nila had no doubt that Kaida was going to evolve her Eevee into a Flareon.

"Hey, I want to be a gym leader!" Kaida said sharply to Nila. "I just need to prove myself with badges and competitions!"

"We should battle!" Janie said happily.

Nila rubbed her head. Did this girl ever get down? Even Flo and Rina got grumpy sometimes. Janie was a non-stop chirpathon.

"I wanna battle one of my Pokémon against each of you," Janie demanded. Then her grin widened as they didn't respond. "Pretty please?"

"Fine," Kaida said. "Who will you be using then?"

"Gloomy!" Janie said, grabbing the Gloom beside her.

"OK then," Kaida said. "Go, Growlithe. Use Flamethrower!"

Growlithe leapt forward and toasted the Gloom. It was knocked out. Janie gaped.

"Fire will be your enemy with those Pokémon," Kaida said, sitting back down and calling Growlithe over to her. She patted its head. It has such soft fur! She was going to brush it every day.

"I'll use Eevee," Nila said. "Eevee, use Wish!"

"I'll use my strongest Pokémon," Janie declared. "Come on Ledyba!" Ledyba inched forward timidly. Janie sighed. "Come on, Ledyba! Be tough! Use Silver Wind!"

The shimmering wind hit into Eevee and it struggled to stay upright. However, it recovered and, on Nila's command, it used Sand Attack against Ledyba, who rubbed its eyes helplessly.

"Now, Quick Attack!"

Eevee leapt forwards and tackled the Pokémon speedily with its attack. Ledyba was bowled backwards and it had to flap its wings furiously to stop itself from falling.

"Remember, Ledyba," Janie said. "It doesn't matter about accuracy! Use Swift!"

The pointy stars flew into Eevee and caused considerable damage. However, Eevee wasn't nearly ready to give up. It used Quick Attack again, slamming into its foe.

"Now use Mach Punch!" Janie ordered.

The attack was super effective and would likely knock Eevee out. Nila knew she had to act quickly. She ordered for Eevee to use Endure and she watched as it just about managed to hang on as Ledyba slammed the punch into it and sent it flying backwards. Then Eevee glowed. Its Wish was being fulfilled and its health was restored.

"Now, another Sand Attack and follow that by Quick Attack!"

"Use Mach Punch again!"

This time Ledyba missed due to its lowered accuracy and it was open to another Quick Attack. It was now low in health. Then Eevee surprised them all and used Bite, something which it seemed to have learnt from the other Pokémon. This lowered Ledyba's health a lot and it looked like Eevee had the upper hand.

Then Ledyba began to glow and they all watched in amazement as it shifted form, growing larger and larger until… It had evolved into Ledian!

"Wow," Janie shouted with joy. "I've never evolved a Pokémon before! This is amazing!"

Her Pokémon was stronger now but Nila refused to give up. She ordered Eevee to use Wish again and continued to use combinations of Sand Attack and Quick Attack. Ledian was stronger, yes, but its accuracy was low and its health depleted. When it managed to land a Mach Punch, Eevee used Endure again to hang on before Wish healed it. It was an excellent move combination. Then Eevee used bite again and finished the job.

"Wow, this is still great!" Janie said happily. "I can't believe it evolved."

Nila was unimpressed. She congratulated her Eevee by feeding it one of Flo's better looking Poffins. It was a bit risky to use Flo's Poffins as a lot of them turned out badly, but Nila did have to admit that she was improving.

"OK, now I'll use my other Gloom," Janie said. "Go, Happy."

They frowned a little at the nickname. Was it supposed to be ironic? Then again… It did have a strange little smile on its drooling face…

"I'll go next," Flo said happily. "Go, Wooper!"

Wooper had the type disadvantage against Gloom but it was one tough little Pokémon so Flo was reasonably confident that it could do well.

"Wooper, use Slam!" Flo ordered.

Wooper slammed into Janie's Gloom, who staggered backwards from the impact. Then it used Mega Drain, which was amazingly effective against Wooper's water and ground dual type. Flo paled as Wooper lost most of its health and whatever damage done to Gloom was healed.

"It really needs to know an ice move to deal with that," Kaida commented.

"Kaida's mother could teach it Ice Punch," Nila suggested.

That was all very well, Flo thought, but it wasn't very helpful at that moment where Wooper was being thrashed by a stupid grinning Gloom. She watched helplessly as Gloom used another Mega Drain and it fainted. Janie cheered and whooped and did a victory dance.

"And now, Paras!" Janie said, sending forward her final Pokémon.

They all looked to Rina who was nibbling on some cheese.

"Huh?" she said, after noticing all eyes were on her.

"You have to send forward one of your Pokémon," Kaida told her.

Rina pulled a face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," they all said.

They had never seen Rina fight before and were quite interested to see if her Slowpoke actually did anything.

"Eh, fine," Rina said. "Go, Wonky."

The limping Slowpoke made its way forward and then sat down.

"Paras, use Slash," Janie ordered.

Paras slashed at the Slowpoke but it hardly seemed to notice.

"Um," Kaida said, nudging Rina. "Are you going to do anything?"

Rina shrugged. "Um, Wonky, use whatever moves you like."

Wonky did a bizarre wiggle and the sky suddenly filled with rain and it began pouring down. They all blinked. Rain Dance.

"Oh," Rina said, standing up. "Rain!"

She started to spin around while the rest of them covered up their belongings so they didn't get ruined. It had been a clear day and they had not expected that.

"Use Giga Drain!" Janie instructed.

The attack did a lot of damage but then Rina's Slowpoke used another move, flashing briefly, and they realised it had used Disable.

"No fair," Janie said, not looking upset at all. "Ah, well, use X-Scissor!"

The attack did a bit of damage but, despite how powerful it was, Slowpoke didn't seem that hurt. Instead it used Headbutt when Paras got near enough, sending it flying backwards.

"Slowpoke is powerful," Flo said, amazed. "How…? But Rina doesn't do any training!"

"My brother trained them," Rina said, still swirling in the rain. "They know a lot of good moves."

Slowpoke then used Water Pulse and succeeded in confusing Paras. It staggered around, disorientated. Then, finally, it finished Paras off with Psychic.

"Your brother must be a good trainer to get those two to do anything," Flo muttered.

Normally they just lolled around. They were just as lazy as Snorlax! They slept almost as much as well! It was ridiculous!

"Ah well," Janie said, still not put down. "I won one match! I think Kaida is right. I do need a lot more range of Pokémon… If they don't have spots on… I'll have to draw them on!"

She whipped out a marker pen from her bag and grinned manically.

"That wasn't exactly what I meant," Kaida said, feeling sorry for Janie's future Pokémon. "Oh well… Never mind."

"Anyway," Janie said, returning Paras and hoisting her bag on her back. "Thanks for the battles and lunch! I'm off to Goldenrod."

"We're off to Ecruteak," Nila said. Thankfully. She did _not _want to travel with Janie. She could only put up with so much cheerfulness. Rina and Flo were quite enough of an annoyance for her sanity.

"Hopefully I'll see you again!" Janie said.

"Yeah, bye!" Flo said. She had learnt something at least. She turned to Kaida. "Will your Mum really teach Wooper Ice Punch?"

"Um, if you send it to her at the Pokémon Centre. I can ask her to do it for free, I guess," Kaida said. She was doing it more for Wooper than Flo. She liked that Pokémon. It was extremely curious and always landed itself in trouble. It was funny.

Rina was still dancing around in the after effects of Rain Dance, squealing happily. They all rolled their eyes and sighed before Kaida and Nila took one arm each and dragged her off. Where was John when they needed him? He always dealt with this… They couldn't wait until they met up with him again… It would be saving all of their sanities…


	29. Chapter 29: idiots and ninja

**29. Idiots and ninja**

"I don't think I've ever seen a Pokémon move so quickly," Flo said, almost going cross-eyed as she watched Houndour skidding around the campsite. Nila's new Pokémon was making her dizzy.

"Hee hee," Rina said in reply as she span around in circles. The air felt moist and she was hoping that it would start to rain.

Flo forced herself to look away – Rina's spinning was making her dizziness worse – but then her eyes fell back on Houndour again. Growlithe and Sandslash were following the newest addition to their group but neither were quick enough to catch the speedy Pokémon until, suddenly, Houndour stumbled upon a twig, lost control of its legs, and flipped over, ending up head over heels. It gave a low whine and Nila rolled her eyes at its clumsiness. Chikorita gave it a haughty, superior look before turning its head away. Nila's Eevee calmly surveyed the action while Kaida's Eevee looked a little more interested, its little head bobbing to follow the other Pokémon.

"Dinner's done," Kaida said, beckoning them to the fire.

Flo approached the plate of what used to be food. She didn't think it was possible for food to be burnt and raw at the same time but, apparently, it was. She poked her plate with her fork and decided she wasn't hungry.

"Huh," Rina said, cocking her head at her plate as if it contained the answers to the many mysteries of life.

"You let Nila help, didn't you?" Flo accused.

"I helped her hold them over the fire," Nila said.

Flo decided to dump her food in the bushes. It looked like she was back to eating power bars. She missed John and his amazing cooking. They'd been surviving on sandwiches and crisps and she just wanted a nice hot meal!

Rina tried to eat some of the food but ended up gagging. She dashed off to a bush but they could still all hear her and that, along with the monstrosity of a meal, put them all off eating anything else.

"I'm gonna go to sleep," Flo said miserably, hugging her Togepi tightly.

She pulled out her sleeping bag and was about to go into the tent when she spotted her can of deodorant. It had almost run out so, when Rina came back to their camp, she offered it to the girl along with a bottle of water. Smelling like sick couldn't be fun and she had a feeling that she would be positioned next to Rina that night, which would mean she would have to put up with it.

Rina sprayed the deodorant but very little came out. She frowned and washed out her mouth. She looked down at the can. It was pretty empty and couldn't be used anymore and, with no bins, it should be destroyed. She chucked it aside.

"Rina!" Nila roared.

_Whoosh._

The can had landed in the fire and the flames shot up. Nila tackled a startled Rina to the ground and Kaida and Flo both threw themselves down, protectively, over their Pokémon. When they opened their eyes again they saw fire had scattered around their camp and, worst of all, the tent was on fire.

"Ow," Rina said to Nila. "Why'd you do that?"

Nila purposely elbowed Rina in the stomach before getting up. She coupled this with a nasty glare and, "Idiot!" Then she turned back to the tent. "Water Pokémon, anyone? Flo!"

Flo, who had been staring, mouth wide open, at the tent, finally snapped into action. She called over Wooper, who came skipping, and ordered it to perform Water Gun. While Wooper performed this action, Kaida and Nila were stamping out the rest of the fire.

"You complete–" Kaida seemed to run out of words because she was so angry. She flapped her arms furiously and her face screwed up in rage. "GAH!" she yelled finally.

Rina only looked back with wide, confused eyes.

"How did you learn human speech?" Nila wondered.

"Exactly!" Kaida fumed. "Look at that tent! Where are we going to sleep?! You haven't got two brain cells to rub together, have you?!"

Rina was still looking startled by the outburst, uncomprehending.

"I could kill you!" Kaida shouted.

Flo saw a barbeque prong lying within an arms length of Kaida and she discreetly moved it away. No need to tempt her…

"Sorry?" Rina said quietly.

Kaida flapped her arms and spluttered a few other expletives.

Nila frowned. "Hang on. Where's Houndour?"

They all looked around but the Pokémon was nowhere to be seen. Nila's Eevee got up and nudged her leg. Nila looked down and the Eevee gestured its head to a thick patch of bushes, which, under closer inspection, appeared to have been very recently trampled through. Houndour had been spooked by the explosion then. Nila glared at Rina.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"You're welcome?" Rina replied, confused.

Nila gave her another glare. Then she said, "You two stay here. Try and patch up that tent or something. And, by that, I mean you, Flo. Don't let her near it."

"I can sew!" Rina protested.

But the thought of Rina with sharp pointy objects made Flo smack a hand over Rina's mouth and nod obediently just before Kaida and Nila disappeared in pursuit of Houndour. Nila ordered Mareep to stay behind – declaring someone needed to look after the pair of idiots – and Kaida told Gastly to do the same.

"Nice move," Nila said as soon as they were out of earshot.

Kaida sniggered. Yep. Nila had caught onto her train of thought. Gastly was going to do a lot more harm than good… They deserved it though.

"Just when I think Rina can't get any stupider," Nila muttered, "she goes and chucks an aerosol in the fire."

Kaida nodded in agreement, at the same time pushing prickly branches from her face. She was having an easier time than Nila though; she had to admit that sometimes it was easier to be small. Nila was stooped like an old woman to avoid taller foliage.

"Nature," Nila said with a scowl, attempting to ward off several brambles.

The Pokémon were having an easier time than both of them. They were able to move through the undergrowth that many other small creatures had broken through before.

"I swear the only thing that could catch up to Houndour is Pineco," Kaida said. "Where's John when we need him? He has some experience in catching stray Pokémon…"

"Some?" Nila repeated. "He could practically write a book… Ow!" She sucked a scratched and bleeding finger and narrowed her eyes at the offending plant. "We could also do with Houndour to barbeque these bushes."

Cyndaquil, who had been forced to walk on the ground due to the perilous position of Kaida's shoulder, seemed to take this as a hint and it fired up its back. Luckily Kaida stopped the Pokémon just in time.

"No, no," she said, reaching towards Cyndaquil as it extinguished its flame. She scooped it up and gave it a cuddle for trying to be helpful. "Humans and being set alight do not go well." As she said this she ducked a branch and almost tripped over Growlithe. She yelped. "How far do you think Houndour has _gone_?" she asked, fervently hoping it had got bored and stopped.

This wasn't very likely. Houndour could run around happily for hours.

After several more minutes of traipsing through the woods they heard a familiar sound and, when they paused and listened more carefully, they realised that it was Houndour. Moving forwards as quickly as they could, trying to avoid the worst of the undergrowth, they burst forward into a small clearing and were greeted by the sight of a pit in the ground. Houndour was at the bottom, crying out piteously. Nila rolled her eyes.

"Clumsiness again?" she said, pulling out Houndour's Pokéball.

She returned it to its ball with a flash of red light. Almost instantly after she had done this, Growlithe backed up – or perhaps it was Sandslash stepping forwards – and something was triggered that meant a giant net scooped them all up. They all flailed widely but Nila had some sense and ordered Sandslash to use Slash. A flash of its sharp claws later and they fell a fair distance from the gaping net and tumbled out on the floor.

"Ow!" Kaida complained, rubbing her back. "Everyone OK?"

Nila checked on her own Pokémon and, thankfully, everyone seemed to be all right.

"Why are all of these traps here?" Kaida wondered. "If it is some pesky bug catcher again…" She was remembering the boy dressed like a bush in Ilex Forest.

"Who's out there?" Nila demanded, scanning the area and seeing nothing.

Then, seemingly materialising out of nowhere, appeared a severe looking man with large eyebrows and spiked hair. He was wearing a black ninja outfit and a strange short cape.

"Who are you?" Kaida demanded. "Did you set up these traps?" She scowled. "They could really hurt someone!"

"Fwahaha," the man replied. "Be thankful they were only done in a short time when I spotted that Houndour coming."

He had managed to dig a pit that quickly? That didn't seem right… Perhaps he had a Pokémon that could do the work for him, Kaida thought. Otherwise he would have to have some form of super strength to work _that_ quickly.

"Well it didn't take a lot of work for Sandslash to get out of that," Nila said scornfully.

The man moved in a flash and they found themselves facing a new net, which had encircled them all, and this time the net was metal. Sandslash's claws made almost no impact at all when they tried to get free.

"We could dig our way out," Nila said, unimpressed, gesturing to the solid ground beneath their feet.

"Which is why you should be glad I didn't use this for the tree," the man said.

Nila shrugged. The man's eyebrow twitched at her flippancy. Kaida found herself thinking this man was a bit of a creep. What grown adult hung around woods and tried to scoop up children in nets?!

"Don't mind him," another voice said. "He's been secluded from people for a while and likes to show off."

They spun around again to see an elderly woman emerging from the forest. She had a walking stick and was wearing a pink dress with a white collar and apron but she still didn't look like a woman to be messed with. Not, of course, that Nila and Kaida ever underestimated old people with walking sticks. One thought back to Kaida's grandmother – Margaret – would quickly end that. Like the man, she looked severe with sharp eyebrows and narrowed eyes.

"I am Agatha," she told them.

Kaida's eyes bugged. "Agatha as in…?"

She had known the woman looked familiar!

"Elite four," Nila said, finishing the thought.

She was the ghost type member of the Elite Four of Johto and Kanto. Here. In person. They both stared.

"This is Koga," she said, pointing to the man behind them.

"The gym leader?" Kaida said, looking at the man with a new perspective. Yeah, he was a creep, but he was also a formidable Pokémon trainer!

"Soon to be member of the Elite Four," he told them.

Agatha cackled. "Yes, I'm sad to say Koga has defeated me. I will retire now but, first, I wish to teach him a few more secrets of the trade. We do share an affinity for poison type Pokémon, after all."

"I have a poison type Pokémon," Kaida blurted, unable to stop herself in a moment of fan girl weakness. Two members of the Elite Four – whether present or not – were in her presence! She could hardly be blamed. She flushed when they both looked at her. "Uh, it's a Gastly."

"And you are a Pokémon trainer?" Agatha said, a little scornfully. "Looking to enter the Silver Cup, I presume, and then go onto challenge the Elite Four?"

Kaida nodded enthusiastically. "I want to be a gym leader one day!"

Agatha looked her up and down. "You look a bit puny for that!"

"Puny?!" Kaida exploded. "I'm not puny!"

Nila snickered. That was a joke – and a reaction – that would never get old.

Kaida waved her fists and Agatha looked amused. "Well, at least you have some spirit," she conceded. "Still, you might want to toughen up."

The walking stick whipped out but, with long years of practice, Kaida and Nila deftly avoided it. Agatha cackled again.

"Size isn't everything," Koga said. "You should know that too. There are subtler things than sheer force."

Kaida turned to thank him but he was running his fingers across his chin like a cliché evil villain, which was quite freaky, so she shut her mouth.

"Where is this Gastly?" Agatha demanded. "I'd be interested to see it. I'm sure I can tell from that whether you have a potential as a Pokémon trainer."

"Back at the campsite," Kaida said, gesturing in the direction they had come from. "Helping our hopeless friends."

Agatha and Koga followed them back towards the camp and Kaida prayed that Gastly would be on its best behaviour, which she had to admit was highly unlikely. She had left it there hoping it would cause trouble for Rina and Flo so there was probably chaos. Sure enough, when they returned, the campsite was even more of a wreck. Flo and Rina were having a fight, their hands slapping each other at furious speeds, and Gastly was above them, cackling. Mareep was sparking threateningly but was ignored. There was the gaping, scorched hole in the tent, several patches of grass were burnt, and clothes and bags were strewn everywhere.

"And that's my Gastly," Kaida said lamely.

Gastly zoomed over.

"Interesting," Agatha said with an inscrutable expression. She cleared her throat. "What moves does this Gastly know?"

"Ugh, Curse, Confuse Ray, Shadow Punch, and Lick," Kaida replied.

Gastly had stopped dead in front of Agatha as she examined it but, as she continued to peer at it, it grew bored and vanished, appearing behind her, waggling its tongue.

"I know too much about ghost Pokémon to fall for that," Agatha said, withdrawing a pair of glasses from her pocket and perching them on her nose. "These have tiny mirrors in. I can see all around me. It's useful when training the ghost type because their stealth is their greatest strength."

Koga was no longer beside Agatha, Kaida realised suddenly, and she and Nila spun around to see Koga had moved, quickly and silently, to observe Rina and Flo, who were still squabbling obliviously.

"I can sew!" Rina insisted.

"Not in this lifetime!" Flo insisted.

They were actually fighting over thread, but this had been discarded on the floor as they slapped pathetically at each other.

"Ow!" Flo cried. "My wrist."

"Let go then!" Rina insisted, clinging on madly. "I can do it!"

"I have let go!" Flo wailed.

Rina released her suddenly and Flo stumbled backwards, clutching her wrist. This was when they noticed Koga and each jumped about a foot in the air in shock.

At the same time Agatha was now discussing attack moves with Kaida.

"A fire trainer," she said, again sounding scornful. "So you'll be like Blaine then. Always thinking on the direct offensive with high attack."

"Fire Pokémon are good at attack," Kaida said defensively, narrowing her green eyes.

"Yes," Agatha said, "but that's not appropriate for a Gastly."

"Of course not." She had long ago learnt that Gastly was best at hiding and stealth, using its signature Curse attack. She had even used it to win gym battles! "I know how to use Gastly."

Agatha raised her eyebrows sceptically. She looked to Nila.

"What about you?"

"Bit of everything," Nila said noncommittally.

"She likes the dark type," Kaida told the old woman.

"Well there is something to the dark type," Agatha said. "Their trainers normally know that rushing in recklessly with high power attacks isn't all there is to battling."

Kaida started to fume again. Her hands scrunched into fists and her cheeks went red.

"She's like Blaine," Koga commented, suddenly by their sides again.

Agatha nodded. Then, abruptly, she said, "We must leave. There's more work to do."

Koga inclined his head at her respectfully. Then he looked to Kaida and Nila. "As long as you think upon this carefully, that direct attack is not the only option, then you can go far. Think on stealth."

"Stealth isn't the only option either," Nila told him. "You can be quick but if you have no defence then a high attack can finish you off."

"Exactly!" Kaida said, waving her fists around a bit and accidentally catching Nila's side. Her friend glared at her. "You can mix and match. Whatever works for your Pokémon!"

Koga's lips quirked and he lowered into a small bow to both of them. Then he was gone again, with Agatha quickly following.

"Well, the Elite Four might be powerful trainers but they're _very _patronising," Kaida said, huffing.

They turned back to Flo and Rina, who were now scrabbling on the floor to get to the thread. Flo had Rina in a weak headlock and Rina appeared to be gnawing on her arm.

"Then again," Nila added, "with all the idiots out there, you can't really blame them."

-

A day later, after patching up the tent the best that they could the previous night, Kaida and Nila went off to train their Pokémon as Rina and Flo slowly munched through their lunch. They had been training by the camp but Rina's interference – she was trying to pet Growlithe – had made them move a little way away. Flo and Rina stayed put and Flo polished her Friend Ball that she had received from Kurt in Azalea Town.

"Where's Grimer?" Rina asked suddenly.

Flo looked shifty.

"I haven't seen it for a while," Rina continued. "Grimer should come out. You could give it a polish or a brush."

Flo raised her eyebrows. Was Rina really stupid enough to think that it was possible to _brush _a Grimer?! The brush would come away covered in slime!

"Don't you like my birthday present?" Rina asked, when Flo made no indication of movement.

Flo gave a longsuffering sigh and found Grimer's Pokéball. She released the Pokémon next to Weepinbell. Grimer immediately looked around and opened its arms for Rina, blobbing forwards for a hug. Flo yanked Rina out of the way. She did not want to have to wash Rina's clothes again. No doubt Nila would explode at the sight of Rina covered in slime too.

"Food, Grimer," Flo said, hoping to distract the overly-friendly Pokémon.

It seemed to work and Grimer happily devoured its bowl of Pokéchow. While Flo was distracted, Rina scooped up the Friend Ball.

"Hee hee," she said, juggling the ball from hand to hand.

"Hey," Flo said, patting the pockets of her body warmer jacket and realising the ball wasn't there. "Give that back!"

But Rina stepped back several paces, still juggling away.

"Rina!"

There was a rustling and Rina and Flo turned to see a large Pokémon stepping out of a bush. It shook its antlered head and its hooves pawed the ground. Flo pulled Kaida's Pokédex from her bag to identify the Pokémon, which turned out to be a Stantler. It watched them warily as the mechanical voice of the Pokédex filled the air.

"Those who stare at its antlers will gradually lose control of their senses and be unable to stand."

Flo glanced over at Rina who, sure enough, was staring avidly. Her knees buckled suddenly and Flo caught her and lowered her to the floor. She glanced up at Stantler, who was still staring back. Flo pulled Rina's face in the opposite direction and frowned. She didn't think people could lose their senses _that_ quickly. It had to just be Rina. Flo had been looking at them for almost as long and she was perfectly fine.

"I want to catch it," she announced, looking around for the Friend Ball. Stantler was a rare Pokémon, and it was cute enough, so she was definitely interested. "Rina? Where's the ball?"

"Grime?" Grimer said from where it had slide up beside them. Then it burped.

"Oops." Rina giggled. Her eyes were unfocused and, when Flo let her go, she sprawled out on the ground. "Grimer went munch munch."

Flo looked at Grimer in horror. _No._ That had been a special Pokéball! She looked back up to the Stantler and, because of the time she had wasted, the Pokémon was gone. She cursed. Stupid Rina and her ridiculously low tolerance to the distortion field of antlers… Now Grimer had the Friend Ball!

"Come on," she said, slapping Rina's face. "Snap out of it!"

Rina giggled some more. It was like she was on drugs. Flo huffed. She'd have to get the Pokéball herself then. She just hadn't figured out how… She certainly wasn't sticking her hand down Grimer's throat… Or up the other end either.

"Come on, Grimer," she pleased. "I'll give you a hug… Just spit it out!"

"Grime!" Grimer said happily, moving forwards with its gloopy arms spread wide.

"After I get the Pokéball!" Flo said quickly, scrambling away. She wasn't getting covered in sludge for nothing!

"You could try and hug it out," Rina said, finally sitting up.

"What?" Flo said, bewildered.

Rina mimed going behind someone and grabbing them, like you would when someone was choking. Flo didn't think that worked if Grimer had already swallowed.

"Well," she said weakly. "Why don't you try it?"

"OK," Rina said brightly, crawling over to Grimer and hugging it from behind. Nothing happened. Grimer just relaxed back happily, overjoyed at receiving a hug.

Flo frowned. "I don't think it is working."

Rina squeezed harder but, since Grimer was essentially a pile of sludge, this didn't seem to faze it. It just looked happier and happier, a wide grin splitting apart its face.

"Still not working."

"Well, I don't know," Rina said, releasing the ecstatic Grimer. "You try."

She was going to have to, Flo realised. She carefully removed her arm warmers – there was no sense in getting her prize item of clothing dirty – and her body warmer. Her t-shirt was expendable. It wasn't a miracle worker like those arm warmers. Gingerly she moved behind Grimer and encircled her arms around it. Grimer squealed happily. This was its second hug of the day, the hour, even the _minute_! It was in bliss! Flo squeezed suddenly and sharply but nothing happened. Grimer manoeuvred around and did the same to her. Perhaps this was some weird human sign of love? Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze…

"Help!" Flo choked. Her face was bright red.

A flash went off.

"That's so cute!" Rina squealed, looking at the result on the camera. She brought the camera back up again to take another picture. "Ah, flushed cheeks from the happy bond between Pokémon and trainer!"

"Gack!" was all Flo managed.

"What is going on here?" Kaida's voice rang out. She had returned with Nila. "Actually, I don't want to know…"

At the sight of Nila, Grimer released Flo (who collapsed, gasping and desperate for air) and started towards Nila with a huge smile on its purple face.

"No, no, no!" Nila said, running backwards. "Mareep! Thundershock!"

Mareep stepped forwards and jolted Grimer, who slid to the floor, successfully halted.

"It ate my Pokéball!" Flo wailed as soon as she had recovered enough breath. "My Friend Ball from Kurt!"

Flo looked back to Grimer, who was still on the ground, thoroughly shocked by Mareep's attack. She had missed her shot at Stantler, she had lost her special Pokéball, and she was now covered in grime. It had been an _awful _day!

"Um," Kaida said. "No it hasn't."

She pointed to Weepinbell, who was looking churlish. It opened its mouth to reveal the Friend Ball.

"Weepinbell! Grimer!" Flo's mouth dropped open. "RINA! You said Grimer ate it!"

"I did?" Rina said, confused. She tried to think back. The antlers had been so pretty…

"Aaah!" Flo shrieked. "Weepinbell, give it back."

Weepinbell spat the ball on the ground sulkily and then turned away. Flo scooped up the ball and looked after Weepinbell, wondering what had inspired this fit of anger.

"You know," Kaida suggested, "you could try to be a bit nicer to Weepinbell. It did only evolve to help you!"

"But…" Flo muttered. "It looks funny."

Kaida bit back the urge to demand how in the world Weepinbell looked funny if Bellsprout didn't. She kept this back and instead, slowly, said, "Well, you aren't very nice and you might have hurt its feelings." In her head, she thought, _you imbecile._

Flo had to admit that might be an _element _of truth to this, but it wasn't her fault that her hopes for the Bellsprout Dance Off had been crushed! Perhaps she had taken it out on Weepinbell a _little_ but she could hardly be blamed. With a sigh, she followed the moping Pokémon. Perhaps an apology would help.

"Look, Weepinbell," she said, extremely uncomfortable. "You were my first Pokémon and my first friend…"

Nila mimed gagging in the background. Kaida glared at her to silence her. If Flo made up with Weepinbell then perhaps she would stop whining at Kaida for her role in its evolution. It was a long shot but Kaida was willing to give it a chance.

As Flo continued to speak, Weepinbell perked up a little, and finally Flo finished their chat with a hug to the Pokémon. Yes, it was goofy looking, she thought, but it had helped her out a bit. She had sort of got used to its oddball appearance, even if it had been a million times cuter as a Bellsprout.

"I still need a Bellsprout though," she commented, minutes later.

Kaida groaned. Mission _not _accomplished then.


	30. Chapter 30: epic Eevee and a pervert

A/N: Tam would just like to apologise for this chapter... Really... Just... Sorry.

**30. Epic Eevee and a pervert **

Most of John and Reid's bruises and scratches had disappeared by the time they arrived in Ecruteak City. John was still moving a little stiffly but he claimed this was due to his hard work on the archaeological site, where he had been helping to photograph and translate the inscriptions on the walls. Apparently whatever Morven had done hadn't caused any damage as far as they could see. The photo images of the place before and after showed everything was as it was before and, while John didn't doubt that something more than curiosity had led to the break in, Morven didn't seem to have touched much.

"And they contacted the two guards," John said, "and they both had received calls saying they wouldn't need to work that night. Both are in a bit of trouble now."

John took Nila to see the Burned Tower because she was the only one who seemed remotely interested. Kaida was more interested in looking at the gym, which she had heard contained ghost type Pokémon. She wasn't sure if she was ready for a battle there though. She couldn't use Eevee because it only knew normal type moves and she wasn't sure if Growlithe was ready. Yes, she had been training it by the fire but she still wanted to do a little more work with it.

"You can train against my Sudowoodo," Reid offered.

Kaida thought about it and accepted. From what she had heard from their video calls, Sudowoodo was pretty powerful. At first she had thought Reid was just boasting, but John had backed him up.

They rested at the trainer rooms by the Pokémon Centre that night and, in the morning, after they purchased a new, cheap tent to replace the burnt one, Reid had another suggestion about what they should do in their time in Ecruteak.

"You definitely need to see the Kimono Girls," Reid said excitedly. "They have five Eevee evolutions and are supposedly pretty good trainers."

John raised his eyebrows. "I don't think that is why _you _like them, Reid."

"Well…" Reid scratched the back of his head.

"Oooh, does Reid have a _crush_," Flo squealed.

Reid levelled her with a look. "Shut up."

Flo giggled and darted away. Kaida wondered how Reid had managed to pull off that look. If only it would work when Flo was teasing her about Matt or, especially, when she was doing it while Matt was standing there…

The Kimono Girls had a large training area and, when they entered, they had quite a crowd of admirers. It reminded Kaida and Nila of Whitney's admirers, only they were a little less rabid and were mostly seated in the audience, watching the Kimono girls dancing with their Eevee evolutions on a large raised stage.

"That's so cool!" Flo said, eyes shining at the dance moves. "Do you think they'll give me tips?"

"Somehow I don't think dancing with Eevee evolutions is in anyway similar to dancing with a Bellsprout," Kaida said, a little snidely.

Flo took her seriously. "Good point. Their body shapes are completely different obviously. It is a very different style."

Yes, Kaida thought, it was. The Kimono Girls had some semblance of fashion sense.

"So… How do you battle them?" Kaida wondered aloud.

"Haha," an old man cackled beside them. "So you want to battle the Kimono Girls, do you?"

"That is what she just said," Nila said dryly.

"Well, those beautiful girls are extremely talented and not beaten easily. If you beat them all in one go then you can earn an evolution stone of your choice, although I haven't seen that done in a long time."

"That's not very helpful," Nila said bluntly. "You didn't answer the question."

The old man looked less than impressed with her now but went back to goggling at the Kimono Girls as they moved gracefully along the stage. Kaida and Nila exchanged looks that clearly meant, "What a creepy old pervert!"

They edged nearer the stage and Nila soon realised that, although the sign advertised five Kimono sisters, there were actually six girls up there. The Pokémon the girls had were Eevee, Vaporeon, Flareon, Jolteon, Umbreon, and Espeon. Nila wondered which one the odd one was. She hoped it was the girl with the Eevee because she liked things to be nice and neat and orderly like that. She turned out to be correct.

"We'd like a battle," Kaida muttered under her breath.

The girl with the Eevee heard her and hurried forwards. "We?"

"Well, both of us, really," Kaida said. "However you like. But we don't have six Pokémon each so I don't know how we're supposed to beat you all."

"You could always team up," the girl with the Eevee suggested. "I'm Aiko! I'm one of the cousins of these sisters! You look pretty tough even though you're so young. We should definitely battle. But don't get your hopes up! We don't lose easily."

Kaida and Nila climbed onto the stage.

"You can use three Pokémon each," Naoko, the girl with the Flareon, told them.

Although Kaida and Nila had never battles seriously in a double match, they had practised together before and had gone against John and Reid a couple of times quite successfully. Still, the Kimono Girls probably knew each other fairly well. They could only hope that the girls would underestimate how much Kaida and Nila loved Eevee and its evolutions. They knew pretty much everything about them.

"This is going to be good," John said, taking a front row seat next to the old man who had spoken to Kaida and Nila previously. He noticed, quite disturbingly, that the old man was drooling. He edged away, moving closer to Reid. Creepy…

"I can go first," Aiko said. "Go, Eevee!"

The sisters backed off to the edges of the stage and Nila and Kaida stepped backwards so they stood opposite them. Aiko stepped forwards and Eevee went with her, pawing the ground with its little feet.

"I'll join you," the girl with the Vaporeon said. "I'm Kuni and this is Vaporeon."

Nila and Kaida exchanged another look and Nila sent out her Mareep. Seconds later and Kaida had sent out her Gastly. Mareep crackled with electricity and Gastly pulled a fierce face. It spoiled it by wagging its tongue at the startled Eevee.

"Vaporeon, use Aqua Ring," Kuni ordered.

Water spun around Vaporeon. Nila frowned. Vaporeon's defence was already formidable without having its health restored every turn. This was going to be a tough battle.

"Eevee, use Growl!" Aiko instructed.

They could play at the status lowering game and, in the mean time, Mareep could be on the offensive. Nila ordered the electric Pokémon to use Thundershock but Vaporeon leapt backwards just in time, avoiding the sparks of electricity just in time. Meanwhile, Gastly was trying to use Sucker Punch against Eevee, but it was refusing to be goaded into an attack, which kept causing the move to fail. Instead it used Sand Attack, much to the chagrin of Gastly, who made a rude noise in response.

"Vaporeon!" Kuni said. "Help Eevee! Aurora Beam!"

The icy beam swept straight towards Gastly and slammed into it. Gastly hadn't been paying attention to Vaporeon as it tried to attack Eevee and paid the price. Mareep capitalised on Vaporeon's distraction, however, and hit it with Thundershock. Vaporeon shuddered under the attack but Eevee gained the advantage too, using a super effective Bite attack on Gastly.

"Vaporeon, use Bite!" Kuni ordered.

Vaporeon leapt at Gastly at the same time as Eevee but, this time, Mareep came to Gastly's rescue and used Body Slam to force Vaporeon out of the way. Vaporeon recovered quickly enough from the attack, its health and stamina remaining stubbornly high, but it had spared Gastly a double blow. Gastly dodged Eevee and, using its speed and evasiveness, moved to the other side of the room.

Eevee spun around and Gastly cast Confuse Ray and Eevee began to wobble about. Gastly moved closer to the staggering Pokémon but Vaporeon, dodging another Thundershock, leapt forward to defend it, jumping through the air to use Bite on Gastly. Gastly flinched violently and Vaporeon fired a rapid Water Gun before it was halted as Mareep used Thundershock on it from behind. Unfortunately the electrical attack was fairly weak and this meant Vaporeon could easily recover with Aqua Ring.

Mareep seemed to notice this too because it suddenly crackled more furiously and a new kind of electrical attack poured out of it. Even the trainers had to duck at its intensity as it hit both Eevee and Vaporeon and even Gastly.

"What is that? Thunder?" Reid asked.

"No, I think that's Discharge. That attack goes for everything and it's powerful," John replied.

The good news was that Eevee and Vaporeon were quite badly weakened. The bad news was that Gastly was too and it was particularly susceptible to Eevee's next Bite attack. It was holding on by a thread with all of those extra effective moves, Kaida realised, which was why she ordered it to use Curse. It would knock Gastly out but she wasn't sure what else to do. Its health was so depleted that she couldn't see it winning.

It started to use the attack but Vaporeon, just recovering from its severe electric shock, sent another Aurora Beam attack in its direction to distract it. This gave Eevee the time to leap up and use Bite one final time. With a wail, Gastly fainted and Kaida quickly returned it to its Pokéball. Already she had a Pokémon unconscious and Eevee and Vaporeon did not look out of breath. This was not going well.

She couldn't give up though. What could she use next? She was hesitant to send out a fire Pokémon with that powerful Vaporeon still in the battle so she picked the only option left to her. It had won battles before. Now it could shine some more.

"Go, Eevee," she said, releasing the Pokémon.

It was a little smaller than the other Eevee but its fur was equally glossy and well cared for. This would hopefully be a good match.

"Mareep, we have to take down Vaporeon," Nila said, "but you can't use Discharge again. Not in a double battle. Use Charge instead."

Mareep glowed with power as it charged itself up. Vaporeon moved to use Aurora Beam but Kaida's Eevee interrupted using Quick Attack. It was blasted backwards by Vaporeon's returning Water Gun but it gave Mareep the time to use a powered up Thundershock on its foe. Then Kaida's Eevee turned to the other Eevee and Kaida instructed it to use Yawn. The other Eevee used a harsh Bite attack on hers a few seconds later but Kaida knew it would be worth it in the end. They needed to take down this Vaporeon _now_. It was immensely powerful.

Mareep fired up another Charge and Kaida's Eevee distracted Vaporeon with Charm, lowering its attack. It then used Sand Attack. Kaida hoped this would make Vaporeon's deadly Water Gun and Aurora Beam a little less effective. Meanwhile, Aiko's Eevee fell into slumber, collapsing on the floor, despite Aiko's desperate commands.

"OK," Kaida muttered to Nila. "Let's finish this Vaporeon off."

Nila jerked her head slightly as Kaida's Eevee performed another Yawn attack on Vaporeon. That move was a lifesaver in battle. Vaporeon hit Eevee with an Aurora Beam in response but it also began to move more drowsily and was unable to dodge Mareep's supercharged Thundershock attack. It was badly weakened but Aqua Ring once again restored its energy and it continued to fight on. Then it fell asleep. Mareep charged itself up, ready for the final blow, just as Aiko's Eevee woke up. Kaida's Eevee intercepted the Quick Attack aimed at Mareep with one of its own and Mareep successfully used Thundershock. Vaporeon finally fainted and Kuni returned it to its Pokéball regretfully. Her Vaporeon was tough, that was for sure, but good teamwork had managed to beat it. Now both sides were down to five Pokémon each.

"It's Miki's turn now," another girl bowed to them. She straightened up. "I choose Jolteon!"

Jolteon darted centre stage and cracked with its own electrical power as it immediately jumped on Kaida's Eevee and used Thundershock. Jolteon was amazingly fast and, when Mareep aimed a Thundershock at Aiko's Eevee, it darted in front and took the blow, its body absorbing the power.

"Volt absorb," Nila muttered. Mareep was going to have to give up on electrical attacks then. "Mareep, use Body Slam instead!"

Mareep faced Aiko's Eevee while Jolteon dealt a stunning Double Kick against Kaida's Eevee, who wailed in distress at the super effective attack. Then Jolteon, still moving at awesome speed, fired Pin Missile at Mareep to ward it off Aiko's Eevee. Mareep tried to dodge the Quick Attack that Jolteon used next but it was far too slow. It flew backwards across the room in a tumble of spindly legs. It got up again but Jolteon hit it down with another Quick Attack.

Kaida knew they had to get Jolteon to stay still and so she ordered Eevee to use Yawn against the speedy Pokémon. However, Aiko's Eevee interrupted the move with a fierce Bite attack. Kaida watched her own Eevee respond in kind. That saved her the trouble of teaching it that move then…

While the two Eevee tussled on the dark wooden floor, Mareep was experiencing a lot more trouble with Jolteon. It could land a blow – Nila had worked intensively to up its speed after the trouble with Bugsy – but Jolteon was just stronger and more experience and could land rapid moves. Mareep had managed to deplete its health quite a bit but, on the whole, things were going badly.

"Come on, Mareep," she urged.

It was too late. Mareep finally collapsed to the floor with a small wail and she returned it to its Pokéball. She didn't have a Pokémon who could match Jolteon for speed but she did have one who could hopefully put a stop to its speedy movement.

"Sandslash, go!" she said, sending out the ground type Pokémon.

Sandslash and Jolteon sized each other up while the two Eevee continued to tussle. Finally Sandslash had the solution, starting its Sand Tomb attack. Kaida's Eevee pulled free and Sandslash made sure it escaped the move that enveloped the centre of the stage. Both Jolteon and Eevee were sucked in and struggled to get free as it chipped away at their health. Sandslash aimed a few Swift attacks at them for good merit.

Finally, however, they managed to drag themselves out and Sandslash countered Jolteon's Bullet Seed with Night Slash as it charged. Aiko's Eevee met Kaida's but it was severely weakened and, when they tussled again, Kaida's Eevee managed to finish it off with a final Quick Attack. Aiko returned it to its Pokéball and congratulated it for its performance.

Another Kimono Girl, this time Naoko, stepped forward, releasing, oddly enough, her Flareon. It didn't make sense to Nila with Sandslash in the field but she wasn't going to complain. Perhaps they had a special order that they didn't like to change. She didn't know.

"Sandslash, use your Sand Tomb again!"

Sandslash did, as Eevee ducked behind it to escape the move, but this time Jolteon was too quick. Flareon still got sucked in, however, which left Eevee and Sandslash to deal with Jolteon, who slammed into Eevee with a Quick Attack almost immediately. Eevee tried to use Yawn but Jolteon interrupted with Pin Missile before being struck by Sandslash's Swift. That attack was fast and near impossible to dodge, even for a Pokémon as quick as Jolteon.

Flareon got free of Sand Tomb but it had been badly hurt. While Jolteon continued to trade Quick Attacks with Eevee, Nila ordered Sandslash to concentrate on Flareon. It hit Flareon with Swift and, when Flareon tried to use Bite, it knocked it aside with Slash. Flareon then leapt towards Sandslash and used Fire Fang and hit but it was relatively ineffective. Flareon crumpled, finally, however, when Sandslash hit it with Night Slash. The Sand Tomb had weakened it significantly.

Naoko withdrew her Flareon, disappointed by the relatively quick defeat, and Sayo stepped forwards, sending out Espeon. Sandslash had already, on Nila's instruction, turned its attention to Jolteon, who was badly hurting Eevee. Sandslash hit it with Swift from the other side of the stage and then swept it up into Sand Tomb while Eevee backed away. Now that Sandslash's attention was on Jolteon, Eevee had to confront Espeon, who was fresh and had plenty of energy to battle. It stalked forward and, suddenly, sent its own Swift attack in Eevee's direction. The stars hit the smaller Pokémon and sent it flying backwards into the wall. Kaida watched in horror as it struggled to get up. Espeon polished it off with a Psybeam and Eevee twitched but didn't move anymore.

Kaida quickly recalled it and thought carefully about her next choice in Pokémon. She could send out Cyndaquil, which was easily her most experienced Pokémon, but Growlithe had proven quick and it had moved that would work well against Espeon. Finally deciding, she sent out Growlithe and immediately ordered it to use Crunch on Espeon, who cried piteously at the effective move.

Sandslash was struggling somewhat with Jolteon, weakened from all the fighting, but it still had the upper hand. The Sand Tomb was super effective and Jolteon weakened seriously every second it was in it. Its hackles were raised and its fur was sharp needles but it was doing no good. Sandslash had it well and truly trapped. When Jolteon finally did break free, Sandslash was quickly there to use Night Slash and finish the job. Jolteon collapsed and Miki recalled it.

"Well done, Jolteon," she praised before stepping backwards to allow the final Kimono girl, Zuki, to take her place on the stage and send out Umbreon.

Umbreon immediately used Faint Attack, disappearing and striking hard and fast. Sandslash was weakened, but not finished with, and it responded with a Slash. Umbreon, however, as Nila knew, had an awesome defence and health and it could not be struck down easily. Sandslash was now weakened and, despite its low attack skill, it was doing some damage. This was made worse when Umbreon used Confuse Ray and Sandslash stumbled around helplessly. It landed a Slash attack but mostly ended up hurting itself. It was definitely losing now, Nila saw.

It was Espeon that finally managed to send the final blow, with its Psybeam attack. Sandslash collapsed to the ground and Nila withdrew it. It had done excellently and now they were in a good position for a two versus two. She considered using Chikorita or her own Eevee but decided against it.

"Houndour," she said, releasing the Pokémon. "Get them."

Houndour wagged its stubbly tail in response before launching itself at Umbreon for a Crunch attack. Umbreon responded in kind but their dark moves did little to each other. Meanwhile, Growlithe kept launching itself at Espeon but the wily Eevee evolution kept jumping away in the nick of time. Finally Growlithe tired and stood its ground. A Flamethrower erupted from its mouth and hit the startled Pokémon. Luck was on Kaida's side as Espeon was badly burned.

"Houndour, next time Growlithe fires one of those, you get in the way," Nila instructed.

Kaida looked at her oddly but then remembered that Houndour's ability was Flash Fire and any fire move inflicted on it would only increase its attacking ability. It would have been highly useful if Growlithe shared the same power but she didn't mind Intimidate. Umbreon and Espeon were both weakened because of it.

"Eh," Kaida said, "Growlithe, just use Flamethrower on it now. Go a little easy though."

Growlithe obeyed and they watched as Houndour received the power boost. It sent a Flamethrower at Umbreon, which the Pokémon barely managed to dodge. Espeon launched a Psybeam at Growlithe but Houndour intervened by leaping in the way. It wasn't affected by psychic type moves.

Growlithe and Houndour worked well together, Kaida noticed, perhaps because they both commonly used the moves Crunch and Flamethrower. They also were both fire type Pokémon, although Houndour had the dual dark type as well. She watched as they worked back to back firing alternate Flamethrowers and lunging with Crunch to defeat Umbreon and Espeon, who also looked like a well oiled team. However, the type advantage helped in the end and, finally, Houndour and Growlithe brought Espeon down. They then both turned to face Umbreon, the last remaining Pokémon of the Kimono sisters.

The majority of the crowd were in shock. They had seen individual Kimono sisters defeated before, but it had been a while before all of their Pokémon had been wiped out in a battle like this. To think that these young girls would possibly be obtaining the prize of one of the rare stones was quite amazing to many of them. John noted how impressed they were but most of his attention was on the creepy drooling man next to him. His hand had been rubbing along the top of his thigh for the last few minutes and John was beyond uncomfortable. All he could think was _eew_…

Back on the stage and Growlithe was panting harder and harder. It had been on the battle field for a while and was now tired. Umbreon's defences were amazing and they didn't seem to be doing that much damage and, what was worse, it kept using Faint Attack, which Houndour and Growlithe both found impossible to dodge. Finally Growlithe fell forward, after being struck by a Quick Attack, and Kaida recalled it. It was down to Nila and Houndour now. Umbreon and Houndour circled each other warily and then Houndour let off another Flamethrower, scorching Umbreon quite badly. Umbreon responded with Confuse Ray, which caused Houndour to stagger around, tripping over its own paws.

"Come on, Houndour," Nila urged. "Snap out of it."

Umbreon hit Houndour with another Quick Attack and Houndour collapsed to the ground. Its eyes crossed in confusion, it staggered to its feet only to fall again. However, when its head collided with the ground again, this seemed to knock some sense into it, and it came free from its daze, sending another Flamethrower at Umbreon. Umbreon dodged the brunt of the attack and Nila could see this wasn't going anywhere.

"Houndour, use Smog!" she ordered.

The poisonous cloud obscured Umbreon, who coughed uselessly. The attack worked and it was now poisoned. Now Houndour just had to hang on while the poison chipped away at Umbreon's impressive amount of health.

"Hold on, Houndour," Nila said.

Kaida crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Umbreon, use Faint Attack!"

The move didn't do much damage to Houndour and Umbreon was getting weaker and weaker by the second.

"Houndour, use Leer! Lower its defence!"

Houndour obeyed and, with a flash, Umbreon found its defences weakening as it became more open to the Crunch attack that followed. It wasn't out of the game yet, however, and it responded quickly with another Quick Attack. Houndour was weak as well and, when Umbreon fired off another Confuse Ray, it staggered around quite uselessly, prey to Umbreon's Quick Attack.

But it was Umbreon who fell first.

"We won!" Kaida screeched.

Nila marched over to Houndour and laid a settling hand on its head. It was still confused so she patted it once more before returning it to its Pokéball. She didn't want Houndour still thinking it was in battle and firing a Flamethrower at someone. That could do a _lot _of damage.

"Wow," Aiko said, still looking as happy as ever. She also looked shocked. "I'm so surprised. We haven't had such a great challenge in ages."

"What do you mean _we_?" Kuni teased. "You're normally in Sinnoh with your sister."

Aiko looked sheepish. "Ah, you know what I mean."

"So you can have a stone of your choice," Zuki said, coming over after returning her defeated Umbreon to its Pokéball. "Well, we have the Fire Stone, the Water Stone, and the Thunder Stone."

Kaida shot Nila a pleading look. She would grovel if she had to. Nila rolled her eyes and stepped aside.

"Fire Stone, please," Kaida said quickly. "I want to evolve my Eevee into a Flareon!"

Naoko, who had previously looked a bit sour at her Flareon losing so quickly, perked up and dragged Kaida off, presumably to praise her on her excellent choice in evolve form. Nila heard her telling Kaida everything she knew about Flareon's awesome attack power and move sets. Kaida looked extremely interested but more eager to get her hands on that Fire Stone.

"Nila has an Eevee too," John said, popping up behind her. He was extremely pleased the battle was over because the crowd had started to disperse and he had managed to get away from the creepy old pervert. He shuddered at the thought of him. Gross.

"Wow," Aiko said. "What are you going to evolve it into? I was thinking Glaceon for me, because my sister has a Leafeon, but apparently they only evolve near this special rock in Sinnoh. It is a trip and a half to get there."

"I want to evolve mine into an Umbreon," Nila said.

"That's even more difficult," Aiko said.

Zuki nodded. "It's a bit of a mystery how Umbreon and Espeon evolve but it seems that they must have a strong bond with their trainer and evolve in night and day respectively."

Nila nodded. She already knew that. She and Kaida had studied Eevee and its evolve forms intensely when they were younger because they had always dreamed of owning one. That was what had helped them today: they knew about the different strengths of each Eevee evolution, from the defence of Umbreon to the speed of Jolteon.

"I have it!" Kaida said, running out of the side room, waving the Fire Stone.

"Are you going to do it right now or wait until later?" Aiko asked.

"Well, I suppose I should get Eevee healed up first," Kaida said reluctantly. She pocked the stone. "Thanks guys! This is great though."

"Bring it back here to evolve it," Naoko said.

"Yeah, OK," Kaida said happily. "Let's go!"

She grabbed Nila's wrist and began to pull her towards the exit to the gym. Nila glared at her and tugged free. She didn't care if Kaida was excited. It didn't mean she was going to lift her no touching rule.

Their Pokémon recovered swiftly enough and Kaida talked to Eevee about evolving it into a Flareon. It seemed fairly enthused to become the fire type, like the majority of Kaida's Pokémon, because then it could learn fire moves like Cyndaquil and Growlithe. Kaida dragged them all back the gym and placed the stone on the ground next to Eevee. She clapped her hands together joyously. Nila thought she could even spot a tear in her eye. She raised her eyebrows at John. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised given Kaida's fanatical love for fire Pokémon.

Eevee touched the fire stone tentatively and a glow spread across its body as it grew larger and larger and changed form and then… The glow dissipated. Flareon stood in Eevee's place. Kaida squealed and launched herself at her new fire Pokémon. It was so cute and soft and beautiful…

"I don't think she's moving for a while," John commented.

"Want to get dinner?" Reid asked.

"Sounds good," Nila said.

The three left. Flo and Rina scurried after them. Rina suggested they go and get extra cheesy pizza and Reid agreed. Pizza was good. Behind them, Kaida continued to snuggle Flareon obliviously.


	31. Chapter 31: ghost battles and missions

**31. Ghost battles and exciting missions**

Ecruteak Pokémon Gym was situated in the west of the town and was a fair walk from the Pokémon Centre. John and Reid were both continuing with their part time work in the ruins and the café respectively so they could not go along and both Rina and Flo were quite bored of battles.

"I want to see the Kimono Girls do some more dancing," Flo said, grabbing Rina and hauling her off. She wasn't going by herself.

"Just us then," Kaida said. "Again. Who is going to go first?"

"I've been first twice now."

It sounded more of a comment than a complaint, which wasn't really helpful.

"OK, I will then," Kaida said. She thought about what Pokémon to use. Apparently most people found Morty's ghost type Pokémon tough but she thought she'd have an advantage because she had been training Gastly. She knew all about their disappearing tricks.

They entered the gym to find Morty lecturing some students about the ghost type. He was tall and blond and wore clothes that reminded Kaida of hippies. He didn't seem that bothered about the interruption at all and instead invited Kaida to battle and asked if it was all right for his students to watch. His gym was certainly interesting because the floor was a dark colour and had several holes in. They were only shallow but it was nearly impossible to tell where the dips were because of the colour of the floor and the lighting of the gym. This definitely gave him the advantage, Kaida thought, because ghost type Pokémon generally levitated. It was clever, she thought, and, in the future, she imagined she would do the same thing to _her_ Pokémon gym. There would be burning torches,

"We can battle one versus one," Morty said. "Is that all right with you?"

"That's fine," Kaida said, running through her Pokémon in her head.

Morty sent out Gengar. It loomed high above them and Kaida thought hard. Who could she use to face that? It would probably be stronger than Gastly and although Growlithe had dark moves she thought it could need more training before a gym match. Flareon had just evolved and was a little unsteady. She was decided then.

"Go, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil leapt from her shoulder onto the floor and immediately disappeared into one of the holes. Kaida's eyes widened. She hoped it was all right. It seemed to be OK because it jumped out a moment later with the flame blazing on its back.

Gengar seemed to laugh, its grin stretching across its large purple body. Then it vanished. Cyndaquil was getting better and better at sensing ghost Pokémon, however, thanks to training with Gastly, and it managed to shoot Flamethrower at where it thought Gengar must be. Gengar reappeared in shock as it was blasted by the strong attack. Morty looked impressed.

"Gengar," he ordered. "Use Confuse Ray!"

Gengar's eyes glowed and Cyndaquil stumbled, completely confused, and fell backwards into the hole in the dark floor. It stumbled around in there for a while as Gengar used Night Shade. However, it eventually snapped out of its confusion and leapt out of the box.

"Use Flame Wheel," Kaida ordered, as Gengar disappeared again.

Flame Wheel was a useful attack as Cyndaquil could defend itself and attack at the same time. It rolled into a ball of fire to avoid Hypnosis or other such attacks and it could cause damage at the same time. Unfortunately, the holes in the ground were making it difficult, and Cyndaquil did manage to hit Gengar but then it fell down another one. It jumped out almost immediately but it was no longer using Flame Wheel and Gengar hit it with a Dark Pulse.

"Cyndaquil, try to spin your Flamethrower in every direction!" Kaida ordered.

The attack spun around the room but Gengar was remaining sneaky.

"Watch where the attacks come from," Kaida said, as Cyndaquil dodged a Shadow Ball. They had practised this.

However, then Gengar switched to using Shadow Punch, a move that she had been trying to teach her Gastly. It was almost impossible to tell where the move had come from. Cyndaquil moved into Flame Wheel to try to avoid it but it fell down another hole again. Kaida cursed. How was she supposed to see where the holes where? She blamed it on the lighting. Frowning she wondered if she was allowed to destroy parts of the gym. She doubted Morty would be impressed if she burned the shutters or broke the lights but she was getting desperate.

"Aim your fire along the gym floor," she said. "That should reveal where the holes are."

Cyndaquil obeyed. It couldn't cover the whole of the floor but it found the holes in the immediate area and then rolled into Flame Wheel, zooming around at high speed until it collided with Gengar. Gengar cried out. It had been burnt.

Wow, Kaida thought, they had lucky with the Kimono Girls and now lucky here. She really needed Cyndaquil to learn Will-o-wisp. She'd have to ask her mother.

"Now keep protecting yourself," Kaida ordered.

Cyndaquil continued to use Flame Wheel, dodging the holes it knew where there. Gengar couldn't get a fix on it and its health was slowly being lowered. It hadn't given up though and used Shadow Punch to break up Cyndaquil's motion and throw it from the Flame Wheel attack. Gengar was hurt too but it took the opportunity to use Dark Pulse. The attack took place at close quarters and Cyndaquil was badly weakened. Kaida bit her lip. This was getting close. Cyndaquil was panting but Gengar looked tired too.

"Hide in the hole and continue shooting fire above you!" Kaida ordered.

Now she could use them to her advantage. She knew Cyndaquil couldn't use Flamethrower forever but she had worked with its endurance and she was reasonably confident it could outlast Gengar with its burn. If Gengar wanted to attack it would have to go through the Flamethrower, which would also deflect its far range attacks.

The strategy worked. Gengar tried to push through the Flamethrower but it was too much. It fainted. Morty recalled it, looking very impressed.

"Using the natural environment is always important in a battle," Morty said. "Well done."

Kaida beamed as she gave her the Fog Badge. She'd done it again! Cyndaquil leapt from the hole into her arms and she hugged it tightly. It was tired but victorious. She turned around, whooping at Nila, who she saw was tucking a notebook in her bag. Trust Nila to take notes, Kaida thought.

"I want celebratory pasta!" Kaida declared.

Cyndaquil agreed, crying out happily. They had done it. Four badges down and four to go! They were half way there. _Johto League_, Kaida thought, _here we come_.

-

Rina watched her Magikarp swim around in a small pond outside of Ecruteak City. For a Magikarp it was surprisingly graceful and they hadn't seen it perform Splash once. Instead, Flo claimed, it liked to glare at her. At the other end of the small pond Psyduck waddled in the shadows, clutching its large head in pain. Wooper cut through the water move quickly, racing Totodile across the stretch of water. Yanma fluttered over them, enjoying the soft glow of the evening sun. Pineco was running laps around the pond on the soft grass and many of the other Pokémon were trying to keep up.

Grimer – never used and seldom acknowledged – was slobbering around on the grass. It kept approaching Nila but she had ordered her Mareep to give it a short, sharp shock if it ever tried to hug her. Sadly, as affectionate as Grimer would like to be, it did tend to leave a trail of mess behind it. This put most people off receiving its special Grimer love.

The others were lolling under the sun, lying down on the soft grass, when a blond haired boy came spiriting through the trees, narrowly avoiding trampling on Togepi, who was marching happily up and down and forcing Weepinbell to follow it. Flo shrieked in horror but the boy managed to stop himself in time. They all sat up.

"Have you seen Team Rocket around here?" he asked.

They all shook their heads.

The boy swore. He ran a hand through his hair. He had to be about their age, perhaps a little older, and he was followed by an Eevee, who was now pawing Nila's Eevee in the face. Nila's Eevee didn't seem to mind, which was a stark contrast to its trainer. It didn't paw the other Eevee back: it just regarded it quite solemnly.

"I've been tracking them for ages," the boy said. "I think they are up to something at Tin Tower."

John perked up at the mention of one of the historical towers of Ecruteak. There was no way he was going to allow Team Rocket to mess with those. He had already had enough trauma with the Morven incident and he would not fail again.

"We'll help you look," John said.

"We will?" Flo groaned. She didn't want to move.

"Although you should really go to the police," John continued.

The boy scoffed. "Yeah right. They're useless. I've already warned them and they do nothing."

"Well," John said, recovering quickly from the scornful tone. "We'll help." His expression darkened. "They better not damage any historical artefacts."

Nila nodded. Apparently she shared John's opinion. It was a bit strange, Kaida thought, because Nila hadn't really liked it before but Kaida had caught her reading one of John's history books the other day. She had been quite surprised but shrugged it off. That way John could talk about that sort of stuff to Nila and Kaida would not have to listen to his rambling. She liked history enough when it was interesting but John spoke with such technical terms that her head tended to whirl. She'd stick to being a Pokémon trainer.

Flo made a big fuss about getting to her feet so they started to fan out without her. John and Reid went straight to the Burned Tower and Nila took the new boy – Alex – towards the Tin Tower. That meant Kaida was left with Rina and Flo. Not likely. She dashed off after Nila. When she couldn't find her she decided to hunt by herself.

Team Rocket wasn't particularly an agency known for being subtle and Kaida found a few of them loitering around Ecruteak easily enough. She instructed Gastly to go and listen in and see if they were saying anything interesting. She only hoped that she would be able to interpret Gastly's gestures. While Gastly did this, she and Cyndaquil crept further forward.

"…Boss… desperate…"

She inched forward and hid behind some dustbins. Luckily she was small enough and managed to hide behind them. She then scowled. Imagine thanking being small. This was humiliating.

"The monks won't let people in," a female Rocket with shocking blue hair said. "It's ridiculous. They can't be bribed and they don't seem fazed by our threats… Well, that will change when we back them up." She laughed coldly.

Kaida wondered if all stereotypical villains had to have some sort of evil laugh. She pondered this while thinking of John and his own evil chuckle. John would make quite a good villain really. He could even scare Nila with his creepy smile.

"Not like we can go in yet anyway," a short, high pitched man said. "We don't have what we need."

"Still need to scope it out," the female with blue hair replied. Then she looked from side to side sharply. "Let's go. It's not exactly inconspicuous standing here…"

They could say that again, Kaida thought. She was a bit disappointed that the blue haired Rocket had noticed though because they began to hurry away and she found it difficult to follow them. Eventually she ended up losing them in the windy streets and this was when Gastly caught up to her, bobbing in the direction of the tall Tin Tower. Alex had been right then. They did have business there.

John and Reid had set up vigil outside the Burned Tower. The guards were there that night – they had been especially careful since the incident with Morven – but they knew John and were fine letting him take a look around. There didn't seem to be any kind of disturbance but John didn't want to leave anything to chance. Releasing Yanma and Hoothoot he sent them both in different directions around the building to look for suspicious activity. Both came back minutes later with nothing to report. The Tin Tower it was then, John thought. He hoped Alex and Nila could sort things out.

Alex and Nila exchanged very little conversation as they ran through the dense trees north of Ecruteak City towards the Tin Tower. It was quite a long distance from the main town and it took them a while to get there. Outside the Tin Tower was a small building where the monks lived. They would take turns guarding the sacred site and there were a few scattered outside and presumably more inside the actual Tower itself. They did not look pleased to see Alex and Nila.

"You must leave here," one said to them.

Alex did not look like he appreciated being hindered.

"I've been following Team Rocket who might cause some trouble here," Alex explained.

"Those people were sent away from here today," the monk told him. "They tried to entice and threaten us but we turned them away. They have not come back."

Alex gave the monk a derisive look. "You really think they'll stop there?"

"You must leave now," the monk said, moving forwards.

Alex and Nila stepped backwards as he continued to usher them away. Finally Alex turned around with frustration evident in the way his jaw clenched.

"Fine," he said to Nila. "Let's go."

They walked back into the dense trees surrounding the tower and stopped as soon as they were out of eye sight.

"I'm not leaving," Alex said.

"Why do you have such a grudge?" Nila asked.

Alex's expression was stony. "I hate bullies like them," he said.

Nila knew there was a lot more to it but she didn't ask. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it and her queries would get her nowhere. Besides, there were more important things to be dealing with. She wasn't a fan of Team Rocket either, especially after the incidents at the Slowpoke Well and the Day Care.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"You can leave," Alex told her, "but I won't. They'll come back here eventually."

He released two Pokémon. The first was the small brown striped Pokémon, Swinub, and the second was another, taller ice Pokémon, Sneasel. He sent them out to check the area. Nila sent Chikorita to join them.

"I'll help," she said.

Alex nodded tersely.

Nila's phone vibrated at this point and she picked it up. It was Kaida.

"Yeah, I followed some Rockets but I lost them," she said apologetically. "They move quickly! Anyway, something is going on at Tin Tower. They said they don't have what they need but they need to scope it out or something."

Alex had overheard every word and his jaw clenched again.

"Come up to Tin Tower," Nila said quietly, so not to alert the monks. "Alex and I are here."

"OK," Kaida replied. "I'll call John and Reid. They're at Burned Tower but they should probably stay there. Just in case. And I have no idea where Flo and Rina are…"

That was probably for the best, Nila thought, as neither one were good at being discreet and quiet. She said as much to Kaida and then said goodbye. She hoped that Kaida reached Tin Tower sooner rather than later because she had a bad feeling about this.

Their Pokémon returned a little later and Alex decided that they should split up.

"I'll stay here," Nila said. "It is the point nearest to Ecruteak and I have to wait for Kaida."

Alex nodded and started a circuit through the trees with his Swinub and Sneasel following him closely. Nila bit the inside of her lip as she stroked Chikorita's head absently. What was Team Rocket up to now? It obviously had something to do with Ecruteak's legendary Pokémon but why now? The Pokémon hadn't been seen for years. What could have changed? What was the thing they needed anyway? It was a mystery. Normally Nila liked to solve mysteries but it was frustrating not having enough pieces to fill in the blanks.

Kaida arrived, puffed and out of breath from running, and gasped out the conversation she had had with John. When she had composed herself she pondered more about Team Rocket.

"We can't stay here _forever_," she said. "What is this Alex guy's deal anyway?"

Nila shrugged. It was his business. She was about to suggest they patrol around when she spotted figures moving through the trees. She nudged Kaida. It was definitely Rockets.

"Go find Alex," she ordered Chikorita. The little green Pokémon hesitated at first, looking more interested in teaching the Rockets a lesson, but eventually ran off.

Nila and Kaida stepped forward to block the Rockets.

"What are you doing here?" Kaida demanded. She hated these people. She wasn't a Slowpoke fan – Rina's were quite annoying – but what the Rockets had done to those Slowpoke was sick. Plus they had attacked Danny's Day Care and he had given her an Eevee. Yes, she had a right to a grudge. So did Nila.

"Get out of the way children," the blue haired Rocket from earlier said dismissively.

Cyndaquil leapt from Kaida's shoulder to the ground. It fired up its flame.

"Forest," Nila said to Kaida quietly. "Fire is probably not a great idea."

Nila had a point. The trees were so dense and if one caught fire then it would be easy to spread. It wasn't like Kaida or Nila had a water Pokémon to put the fire out either. Fine, Kaida thought. She'd move to Plan B if necessary and that Plan B was called Gastly.

"You can't stop us," the blue haired Rocket laughed. "You are children. Plus, we have an important mission and the boss has gifted us with powerful Pokémon."

Nila narrowed her eyes and pulled out the Pokéball containing her Mareep. She wasn't intimidated by them. She didn't care what Pokémon they had.

"What do you want here?" Nila asked.

"None of your business," the woman snapped. She lost her patience and sent out an Arbok. Her companion, the short high pitched man, sent out a Rhyhorn. The third part of their team, a taller, spindly looking man, sent forth Nidoking.

Nila and Kaida exchanged a look and laughed in their faces. The blue haired woman swelled with rage.

"You idiot," Kaida said.

Kaida and Nila were both thinking the same thing. How were those giant Pokémon supposed to manoeuvre in these thick trees. They had moved a little way from the Tin Tower when moving to confront the Rockets so there was no open land around.

"Go, Gastly!"

Nila sent out Mareep to join it.

"Gastly," Kaida ordered. "Use Confuse Ray on that Rhyhorn!"

The Rhyhorn, previously preparing to charge, stomped around in confusion and smashed into a tree. Its horn dented the tree and Rhyhorn didn't seem able to pull it free. Meanwhile Mareep dodged an Acid attack from Arbok and used Discharge to hit both Nidoking and Arbok. Luckily Gastly was too far away to be hit by the electrical attack this time. It also was shielded by trees.

Then Nidoking tore the tree out of the ground that Mareep was hiding under. Kaida and Nila stopped laughing. They had assumed that the monks would hear the noise and come to help but they didn't seem to be moving. If Nidoking was just going to rip trees out then this was going to be more of a problem than they imagined. Cyndaquil sent a Flamethrower at Nidoking but it didn't seem to do that much damage. These were powerful Pokémon.

Then Chikorita returned, sending Razor Leaf at the disorientated Rhyhorn before it stepped on Mareep, who was avoiding a Bite from Arbok. It glared at Rhyhorn and looked ready to punish the Pokémon for almost squishing its friend. Chikorita often liked to pick on the other Pokémon itself (with Totodile being a prime example) but it seemed to have the mentality that nobody, apart from Chikorita, got to beat up Mareep.

Alex came skidding along behind it.

"Sneasel, Swinub, use Ice Beam!"

Both of their attacks crashed into Rhyhorn, knocking it unconscious. Nila and Kaida both couldn't help but stare. Those Ice Beam attacks had been enormously powerful. Alex had to be a formidable trainer. They had guessed he was a little older and experienced but still…

"Now, hit Nidoking!" Alex ordered.

Mareep and Gastly, meanwhile, had ganged up on Arbok. Gastly had confused it and Mareep shocked it again, powerfully, and knocked it unconscious. Sneasel and Swinub finished off Nidoking and the Rockets returned their Pokémon. They bolted.

"Forget this," the blue haired woman yelled to her comrades. "When we get it Givoanni can send more people and they won't be able to stop us…"

Alex sprinted after the blue haired woman and Kaida and Nila and their Pokémon followed. When the blue haired woman stumbled over a tree root, Alex dived and tackled her to the ground. She struggled desperately but he was stronger than he looked and, with the help of Sneasel, he pinned her to the floor.

"What is _it_?" Alex demanded.

"Let me go!" the woman screamed.

Her comrades had skidded to a halt ahead. They didn't seem to know if they should help her or not. On the one hand, she was their teammate but, on the other, they wanted to save themselves.

"Tell me what it is," Alex said fiercely. "What do you need?"

He turned her wrist back painfully to the point that it looked like it might snap. Kaida was shocked and took a step forward but Nila pulled her back. She didn't think Alex would go too far. She hoped he wouldn't anyway.

"Ow!" the woman cried. "Stop it!"

"Tell me," Alex hissed.

"The Rainbow Wing!" she squealed.

Now that the woman was divulging information the two men looked shocked and returned.

"Alex, watch out," Kaida snapped.

It was too late. The men bowled into him and easily pushed him off the woman. Alex hit his head hard on the tree next to him and fell down, stunned. The Rockets took off. Nila tried to chase them but they were adults and quicker than she was. Kaida, meanwhile, checked that Alex was all right. He came to after a second and started to swear quite violently as Nila returned.

"The Rainbow Wing," he said. "What is _that _supposed to be?"

Kaida and Nila exchanged glances as they helped him to his feet while his Swinub butted his leg worriedly.

"You should speak to John," Kaida said.

Later, in the Pokémon Centre, John explained about the discoveries in the Burned Tower and the legend of the Rainbow Wing, the Silver Wing, and the Clear Bell. John was quite excited that the Rockets seemed to think these items were real but he was also concerned. If they were real then so was their power over the legendary Pokémon. In the hands of Team Rocket this could spell disaster.

"Do you have any idea where these things are?" Alex asked. His face was grim. His free hand was clenched into a fist while the other held an ice pack to his head.

"I have no idea," John said. "Hopefully working at the ruins will help but…" He shrugged

"I have to go," Alex said, standing up. "I'm going to lose them. I have to pick up the trail."

Nurse Joy bustled over. "You need to see a doctor, young man," she said, pushing him back into his seat. "One is coming right now. You could have concussion."

"I'm _fine_," Alex said mutinously, but he didn't attempt to move. He seemed to recognise the steely glint in the nurse's eye and realised he wouldn't win against her. He sighed. "And this Morven… I don't like the sound of this either. Do you think he is after the same thing?"

"Probably," John admitted, perturbed.

"I'll be happy to help getting revenge on him," Reid said, remembering the trip to the hospital after that Weezing had used Explosion.

John nodded in agreement. His Pineco's weak Selfdestruct had nothing on that powerful Weezing. Kaida was also highly invested in investigating Morven. She needed to find those Cyndaquil!

After the doctor examined Alex and pronounced he was fine, Alex was ready to go again. However, it was now the middle of the night and Nurse Joy refused to let him leave. He traipsed up to the trainer housing with the others and shared a room with the boys, claiming he would leave first thing in the morning. This was true. When they woke up he was gone but he had left his number, telling them to call him if they got any more information.

"That guy was weird," Kaida said. She still was curious about why he was tracking Team Rocket so relentlessly. What had they done to him.

Nila shrugged. "I like him."

Flo popped up eagerly. "You liiiike him," she started.

Nila rolled her eyes and thumped Flo around the back of the head.

"Not like that," she denied. "Now go away."

Flo slunk off, disappointed. Kaida gaped. Could everyone get rid of Flo apart from her?! This really wasn't fair at all!

-

It surprised them all when Morty, gym leader of Ecruteak, tracked them down the next day, telling them he'd heard about them visiting the Tin Tower.

"The monk men talk to me," Morty explained. "I helped them ward off Team Rocket a few years ago. Plus, I used to bug them all the time when I was little about Ho-oh. They said there was a blond boy too…" He glanced around the room, as if expecting said boy would jump out from behind one of the chairs.

"He left," Nila told Morty.

"Yeah, he was following Team Rocket and they went up there looking for the Rainbow Wing," Kaida said.

Morty frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Why would they think it was there? That's what they were searching for years ago. It's not there."

John leaned forwards, looking eager to listen to stories about the legendary artefacts. Morty put a hand on the blue band holding back his hair and the creases on his face deepened as he thought. Finally he shook his head.

"I can't see anything," he said.

"See?" they queried.

"I've been training for a long time with ghost Pokémon," Morty said. "I can now see what others cannot… But I can never see a future with the rainbow Pokémon, Ho-oh. Maybe that means something involving it will happen… Whatever Team Rocket is up to, it can't be good news." He looked to John and Reid. "I meant to visit you two at the hospital. I heard you were attacked at Burned Tower."

John and Reid explained about Morven snooping around and Morty looked increasingly troubled by the news.

"No one can be allowed to get their hands on those artefacts," Morty said.

"You think they're real," John said, eyes wide and curious.

"Of course they're real," Morty stated, without a hint of doubt. He still looked concerned. Then he stood up and the worry dissipated from his face. "Well, I can't do anything sitting here moping. I'll look into it."

"And battle me," Nila added.

Morty glanced at her. "Why not? Come on then."

-

"So," John asked, "did you win?"

Nila held out her new Fog badge for John to examine.

"How did you do it?" he asked. "I heard Gengar is tricky."

Kaida was quick to jump in. "She's a little sneak. While she watched me she mapped out the whole gym in her notepad and found the location of all the holes. Then she made Mareep learn them off by heart."

Nila shrugged. "It was a sensible idea. Besides, Mareep didn't even move that much. Just to avoid attacks. It used Discharge on the whole room."

There was a small silence.

"Why is that move called Discharge?" Reid asked.

"It is a very unfortunate name," John agreed.

They sniggered.

"Ugh," Flo said, wrinkling her nose at the stupidity of boys.

Rina was clueless about what they were referring to and, instead, stuck her nose more deeply into her manga. It was a new book from her favourite artist and she wasn't going to let the immaturity of boys interrupt her. The fact that she had no idea what they were talking about helped quite a bit.

"Celebratory meal again?" Kaida asked.

Pasta? Pizza? Nila wrinkled her nose. All she wanted was some apple juice really… Or milk, but she always wanted milk.

After a satisfying meal they went back to the Pokémon Centre. They were about to enter when John stopped dead in his tracks, causing Flo to slam into him from behind. She yelped and rubbed her head.

"It's Bill!" John said.

"Huh?" Flo said. Then she remembered the visit to Bill's sister in Goldenrod. "Computer guy Bill? Are you sure?"

Bill was tinkering with one of the computer transfer machines in the Pokémon Centre. He had wild tufts of brown hair and a manic gleam to his dark eyes as he tinkered away furiously at the machine with a spanner in his mouth. Nurse Joy looked a little alarmed.

"Done!" Bill said finally, putting the machine back together relatively quickly.

"Thank you," she said. "No one else could seem to fix it."

Bill said something about rerouting frazzled wires wrong. It seemed to go over everyone's heads apart from John.

"Go introduce yourself," Reid said.

"Uh," John said, looking a little overwhelmed in the face of one of his idols.

Reid shoved him forward and John finally got the nerve to go over there. They watched an awkward introduction turn quickly into an animated debate.

"Back to the rooms then?" Reid clapped his hands together. "Let's leave them to it."

However, John beckoned them over and they all went forward to meet the renowned Bill. He smiled cheerfully at them and asked to look at any Pokédex they might have. Only Kaida and Nila had these and, when they handed them over, they watched Bill tinker with a few of the settings.

"These don't have the uploads for some of the other regions," he said, tapping a hand to his chin. "Normally you'd have to buy them but I think I have some spare…"

He dug around in the deep pockets of his trousers and turned away from them while he worked. Nila and Kaida each hoped he didn't destroy their Pokédex in his enthusiasm. They knew he was a technology genius but they couldn't help being a little worried.

"Aha," Bill said, handing them back. "There you go. I had Hoenn and Sinnoh but there are plenty of other regions too with Pokémon unique to each of them."

Nila and Kaida thanked Bill for his help.

"John mentioned you might want to become a gym leader," he said to Kaida, who nodded. "I work for the Pokémon Association and we hire them across the regions." As an afterthought he added, "Rubbish pay." He grinned. "Thought I should warn you."

"I don't care about pay," Kaida said determinedly. "I just love fire Pokémon. Besides, maybe I could learn to be a Move Tutor on the side, like my mother."

"A lot of them do have part time jobs," Bill said agreeably. "Who is your mother?"

"Jane Smith," Kaida said.

"I've heard of her," Bill said. "Powerful trainer. They wanted her for Johto's Elite Four. She also got offered a job as fire leader in Hoenn. Shame she quit."

"Really?!" Kaida said, gaping.

The rumours were true! So those were the job offers that Jane had refused to speculate on.

"You didn't know?! Oops. I probably shouldn't have told you that then," Bill said sheepishly, shifting from one foot to the other. "We're supposed to keep the candidates quiet."

At that point John and Bill got back into a techno babble conversation and they decided to leave and go back to their rooms. John came back to the room, where they were snacking on Reid's sweets from the café, hours later. He looked completely awestruck.

"He…" John muttered.

Reid slapped his back. "It's like his first crush."

Flo frowned in confusion. John glared. Then his expression melted back into awe.

"He gave me a Pokédex," he said.

John had always envied Kaida and Nila for having a Pokédex each – while they were becoming less rare were still uncommon – and had frequently used theirs. Now he had his own. One from Bill. One that Bill had touched. He was going to make sure it lasted _forever_.

"So are we going to leave Ecruteak tomorrow?" Kaida asked. Then, "No, Flareon, get out of there!" It had tried to follow Nila's Eevee under the low bed and had got stuck.

"I need to get to my eating contest in Olivine," Reid said, ignoring Kaida's efforts to tug Flareon back, "but I'll need one more day to tell the café I'm not coming back."

John agreed too. While he was reluctant to leave the research team, he didn't want to outstay his welcome. He wasn't fully qualified after all. Plus, Vincent had told him about a new dig in Cianwood City and he was eager to check it out. He could always come back and catch up on the new discoveries afterwards. The team wouldn't be finished anytime soon.

"Ugh, walking," Flo said. She had been enjoying staying in Ecruteak with a nice warm bed.

Everyone else – save Rina – rolled their eyes.

"You could have stayed at home," Reid said. "You wanted to come!"

"I know, but, eh," Flo said, trailing off.

She had wanted to come but that didn't mean she had to like it. If that made any sense at all…


	32. Chapter 32: moo moo to you too

**32. Moo Moo to you too  
**

A few days after leaving Ecruteak City they woke up to a cry from Rina. Well, actually, that wasn't completely true. The first instance of being awakened was a little earlier, but everyone had fallen back to sleep afterwards.

Grimer, still hunting for another hug from Nila, determined that she would hug him and like it, decided, perhaps picking up tricks from Rina, that a sneak hug would have to do. So, as the camp slept, Grimer slid along towards Nila's tent and slipped inside. Rubbing its sludge hands together it crept forward silently, ready to give Nila the affection it knew that she secretly wanted…

_Oof!_

Nila shot up, still asleep, and delivered a flying punch to Grimer's gut. The force was such that Grimer went flying backwards out of the tent and landed in a heap outside. Everyone woke up, blinking sleepily, at the commotion. Nila went back to lying down and slept on obliviously.

"Grimer!" Flo hissed. "What are you doing out of your Pokéball?! Return!"

Grimer's opportunity had been foiled. It heaved a sigh as the Pokéball was directed towards it. Never mind, it thought, it wouldn't give up! Grimer would get the hug from Nila eventually! It disappeared in a flash of red light and everyone went back to sleep.

The second time everyone awoke was from the cry from Rina who, unusually the first up, cut through everyone's sleep with shrill tones.

"Look at it!" she yelled. "It's a fat Miltank!"

They all awoke blearily, apart from Nila who was still snoozing, and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Indeed, a few bushes away, there was a particularly obese Miltank. It looked up at Rina's words and narrowed its eyes.

"Moo!" it said furiously.

Flo squeaked. "Rina!

Kaida swore.

Miltank didn't move quickly as it lumbered towards them but the ground shook as it moved. It trampled through the bush – making it completely flat – and continued towards Rina, looking to punish her for insulting its weight.

"Do you have any tact at all?!" Kaida cried. She paused. "Wait. Stupid question. Never mind."

Unfortunately several people were in the way of Miltank and its goal of Rina and they had to scramble up, hopping precariously around in their sleeping bags, and try to move their possessions and selves out of the way. Miltank looked like it would stop for nothing. It was so large that little probably could stop it.

"I want it," John breathed.

Kaida squinted at him. He was such an oddball.

"Kaida," John said imperiously, pointing at the Miltank. "Go fetch!"

Kaida gaped. There was no way she was going up against that beast of a Pokémon. She told John this. Her words caused Miltank to swivel its head towards her and it began to stomp in her direction instead. Kaida was still in her sleeping bag and she tried to worm her way free so she could get out of her tent and run away. She managed to scramble from the tent but, in the process, she knocked John's bag to the floor and a few Pokéballs fell out. The Miltank stepped on one and there was a red flash as it was absorbed. The ball shuddered several times and then went still.

"See," John said. "My own personal catcher."

He petted Yanma, which was the only Pokémon he had managed to acquire without her help. He then went to pick up the Pokéball and put the others back in his bag.

Meanwhile, Flo had rounded on Rina.

"Why do you have to insult every Pokémon we go by?" she demanded shrilly. "They don't like being called fat."

"Eh," Rina said, thinking of the obese Miltank. "It wasn't that fat. Not as fat as Jigglypuff."

In the bushes a round pink Pokémon was cracking its knuckles together at these words. Oh yes. That would be another pair of socks it was stealing. The socks that housed Rina's soul would soon be gone… Jigglypuff cackled and moved further into the undergrowth. It was just lucky that the Miltank hadn't flattened its bush… How dare Rina say it was fatter than that Miltank…? Rina would pay.

"See," Rina was trying to explain. "Miltank is bigger so it is allowed to have more fat. That Jigglypuff is just a stupid ball of fat!"

Jigglypuff swelled up. That was it. That girl was losing another piece of her soul _now_. For of course those brightly coloured objects had to be physical manifestations of her soul. And Jigglypuff would have them all…

But then Jigglypuff's other archenemy turned up, with a ridiculous squeaky giggle, and used Sleep Powder. Damn that stupid thing! It was the ball, not Jigglypuff. It would pay too…

"Hoppip," Flo snapped. "Stop splashing around. Come back here, you useless ball of gas."

Hoppip hopped away from the bushes to get its breakfast.

-

"Come on, Flareon," Kaida urged that night. "A Flamethrower? Maybe a little Ember attack?"

Flareon sat in front of Kaida confused. They were setting up camp for the night while travelling towards Olivine City and Kaida was still having no luck in making her Flareon use a fire move. She brought out Growlithe and Cyndaquil to demonstrate all of their fire moves (Flame Wheel, Flamethrower, and Fire Fang) but she was having no luck and felt like she was going to cry in frustration. Her beautiful Flareon had yet to experience the joy of using a fire move. It was devastating.

The others were not acting very sympathetic to her plight, which just made it all worse. Pineco and Houndour, both very speedy Pokémon, were racing each other round and round the newly lit fire, something that was making all the spectators very dizzy. John beamed with pride. His Pineco still did run off _occasionally_ when startled but he had made a lot of progress.

"This is a nice place," Flo said.

She liked it because there were few trees on the way to Olivine City, even though the hilly landscape meant it was easier to take a longer route west and south. Besides, they had even settled by a little pond for the water Pokémon to splash around in and she liked to watch Wooper splashing about. It was currently examining all of the pebbles around the pond with childlike curiosity. Totodile waddled over and tried to see if Wooper had found anything interesting. When Wooper wouldn't show Totodile the stone, Totodile tried to grab it, which resulted in a sharp Water Gun blast in Totodile's face. Totodile quacked indignantly and leapt up again but John was quick to restrain it.

Rina was lying on the floor with her ear to the ground. Her Slowpoke were imitating her.

"The ground is shaking," she said.

They all raised their eyebrows. She giggled. They all turned to watch Reid chasing Sudowoodo around. The rock Pokémon had stolen his food and Reid was not impressed.

"I'm a growing boy!" he cried. "Give it back!"

"I can just make you some more," John said, sighing.

Reid stopped running. "That's not the point," he blustered. "Sudowoodo shouldn't steal food! I've already got one greedy Pokémon. I don't need two!"

Sudowoodo danced from one leg to the other, taunting Reid, who quickly resumed running after it, trying to snatch his food back.

"Rumble, rumble," said Rina, still pressed to the floor.

"Actually," Flo said slowly, "I think I _do _here rumbling. Strange. Thunder?"

Nila went still, attempting to listen for the noise. John collapsed to his knees and pressed his ear to the floor. He jumped up almost instantly and got his binoculars out and peered through them at an ominous dust cloud that was drawing nearer and nearer. He swore loudly.

"Stampeding Tauros!" he yelled.

It was mayhem. In the chaos one of the water Pokémon managed to put out the fire as they desperately tried to pack their stuff away as quickly as possible. John packed and kept an eye on the cloud that was definitely heading in their direction.

"Leave the rest," he said, referring to the tents as they returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs. "Run!"

"Climb a tree!" Flo yelled hysterically.

"You idiot!" Reid yelled back. "There are no trees!"

This just made Flo shriek even more.

"Shut up," Nila ordered. "You're a homing beacon with that mouth."

Flo squealed a little more but fell mostly quiet.

"Uh," John said, panicked, "They're still coming!" He glanced over his shoulder as he continued to run away. "They're following!"

They couldn't possibly outrun the Tauros and they were getting closer and closer every second, stampeding across the ground, shaking the earth. The ground shook beneath their feet as the sound of hooves clattering on the ground grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening. Flo tripped and Kaida tugged her up and they scrambled to get away. They couldn't outrun this herd, however, and they were getting closer and closer with an enraged look in their eyes. Something – or someone – had set them off and they were bent on devastation. Their horns glinted and their mouths frothed. It was a terrifying sight.

At the last second, Reid spun around and, as a last resort, released a Pokémon.

"Go, Snorlax!"

Snorlax was released between them and the raging Tauros and they all ducked behind it. Diverted by the large object, the Tauros started to stream around Snorlax and they could shelter behind it. That had been a close one. Then one of the Tauros scrambled over Snorlax and Flo screamed as it landed dangerously close to her head. Its hooves indented the ground as it followed the rest of the herd. Another Tauros followed it, jumping over Snorlax, and Reid whipped his hand out the way just in time.

They were fumbling with their Pokéballs, each intending to send out a Pokémon to help protect them, when they saw two figures break through the Tauros. One was an older woman who was riding on a Tauros and the other was on a Ponyta and looked extremely familiar.

"It's Gwen!" John exclaimed, jerking his hand away from his Pokéball and drawing his long legs backwards just before another Tauros landed in front of him.

Gwen and the older woman – possibly her mentor – broke through the Tauros and started to round them up. They watched as they moved them into a tight circle, shepherding them until they stopped moving and began to calm down. Finally they were calm enough to be let go. They dissipated, heading off in different directions across the open land.

Gwen jumped off her Ponyta and walked towards them. She seemed to have become even taller since they had last seen her and she towered above them all except for John when they stood up. After standing, Reid patted Snorlax before returning it to its Pokéball. Throughout it all Snorlax had remained asleep, completely unfazed by the events around it.

"I thought you were in Fiore," John said, trying to recall their conversation months ago by the lake after Gyarados had eaten his fishing rod.

Gwen pulled a face and swept her hair from her eyes with her hand. She then let the hand flop before explaining. "We were going to but the guys who were supposed to be looking after this area got called away."

"Pokémon trainers, Gwen?" her mentor said disdainfully, eyeing their Pokeballs.

"Sally!" Gwen admonished. "Try to be a little nice."

"Those Pokémon are prisoners," Sally said, turning her nose up.

Nila returned, in an equally bitchily tone, "Hello, brainwasher!"

Kaida sniggered. She didn't see much difference in keeping Pokémon in Pokéballs or controlling their minds with the Pokémon Ranger equipment personally. She didn't think Nila did either. She just liked to argue.

"It's getting late," Gwen said suddenly. "We need to go."

John grimaced. "We need to see if our tents are all right."

They went the short distance back to the camp site and saw the tents were torn and ruined. They were completely unusable, torn by the hooves of the many Tauros. John cursed. Although it was warm and summery, there was no way that they could reach Olivine City without the shelter the tents provided. They were closer to Ecruteak. They would have to go back.

Gwen whispered something to Sally and Sally gave a grudging nod.

"All right, slavers," Sally said. "We'll get you a Tauros each and we'll drop you off at the Moo Moo farm. They'll let you stay the night and you can buy some supplies from the village near them tomorrow." When they didn't move she narrowed her eyes. "Get a move on!"

It was strange to watch the little circles whizzing around the Tauros. When the circles were complete the heads of the Tauros snapped up and Sally ordered them to follow her and go easy on their riders. Flo whimpered as John gave her a leg up. She was not going to enjoy this. At the same time, Reid instructed Rina to hold onto the neck of the Pokémon and not let go. He could just see her getting distracted and falling off.

Riding a Tauros was not the most comfortable experience in the world – the Ponyta that Gwen was riding looked better built for humans – but they didn't dare complain under the steely glare of Sally, who would probably throw them off and leave them in the wilderness if they dared say a word. She _seriously_ did not like them.

It was completely dark by the time they arrived outside the so-called 'Moo Moo farm' and it was a relief to see the warm glowing lights getting closer and closer. Sally jumped off her Tauros and rapped on the door. The others – apart from Gwen – slid awkwardly from the Pokémon that they were sitting on and Kaida rubbed her legs. She was cramped all over. That had not been fun. Still, they were hopefully about to get some shelter and maybe even a bath. That had to be worth it.

The old man opening the door embraced Sally, who remained poker stiff throughout. She did smile a little though to show she was pleased to see him.

"I've got some stupid ingrates who had their equipment destroyed," she said. "Can you put them up for the night? Gwen'll vouch for them."

"They're fine," Gwen chimed in. "I know them." She eyed Rina and Reid who she had not met before. "Well, most of them."

The Tauros that Sally and Gwen had been 'captured' had snapped out of the control and started to wander off. At least they still looked peaceful, which was a vast improvement from the earlier stampede.

"Come in here then," the old man said, gesturing for them to move forwards. He looked at Sally and Gwen. "Why don't you two stay too? Better than that horrible campsite."

Sally looked reluctant but Gwen gave her a pleading look. She conceded.

"Fine," she snapped. "But I'm not sharing a room with trainers. Gwen can have the joy."

"OK," Gwen said happily. She was glad to be able to hang out with some people her age for a bit. "And we'll call Andy in the morning?"

Sally nodded jerkily and disappeared into the house.

"He's my other mentor," Gwen explained as she glided into the house. "He's with some of the other young Rangers at the moment."

They were all given warm glasses of milk and some thickly buttered toast for a late night snack. The old man pointed them to their rooms and went to bed. There was a little one for the boys and a slightly larger one for the girls, which turned out to be very cramped. They borrowed sheets and sleeping bags and Gwen insisted on having a sleepover chat before they went to bed, which mostly comprised of Gwen gushing about a fellow Ranger who she had a crush on and Kaida trying to pull Flareon out of a box it got stuck in.

"Kaida has a crush too," Flo chipped in. "He's called _Matt_."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Tell me _all _about him," she ordered.

"Flo!" Kaida hissed. She glared daggers at the other girl. Unfortunately Flo was too far away to kick and there were no easy projectiles nearby. Kaida was just too contented and sleepy to move so that ruled out hurting Flo. She could wait until the morning.

"He's a trainer too," Flo added. "He has black hair and brown eyes and is a year older…"

"Sounds cute," Gwen said.

Somehow Kaida managed to get into the spirit of the sleepover and eventually did start spilling about Matt even though Nila's smirk was intensifying every second and Flo looked like she might explode.

"He's a really strong trainer," she told Gwen. Then she glared at Nila. "And he's not at all dim-witted."

She still held a grudge against Nila for saying that, whether she had meant it or not. It was difficult to tell with Nila sometimes…

"We'll have to leave first thing in the morning," Gwen said, pouting. "It sucks. But, hey, I wanted to be a Ranger! How are you doing with the badges?"

"We've got four each," Nila said.

"Wicked," Gwen said. "I need to fight you again then."

"You'll lose this time," Nila said.

Gwen frowned. "I really do have to leave first thing tomorrow. Next time I see you though."

A lot of people seemed to say that to her, Nila thought. Amala, Penelope, and now Gwen. Gwen, however, had beaten her so Nila was looking forward to that rematch.

The next day Gwen and Sally slipped off at the crack of dawn and Reid rose early too and borrowed the farmer's bicycle so he could go to the village and get new supplies. The rest were up at a saner hour and enjoyed a hearty breakfast before offering to help out at the farm as payment.

"Well, I would never turn down a hand," the old man, Giles, said to them while scratching his stubbly chin.

"I caught a Miltank the other day," John said. "I could really use some tips. It, er, isn't exactly in good shape."

Giles insisted he take a look and they released Miltank in the front yard.

"Why, she's a hearty lass," Giles said, patting the Miltank on the head. "Yes, she'll need some training if you intend to use her in battle. Miltank can be powerful but they're mighty difficult to raise for battling. Especially this one."

"Because it is fat," Rina chirped.

Miltank glared but it was being fed some corn so it didn't bother to move.

Their work insisted on helping milk the Miltank on the farm and cleaning up some of the mess. Nila didn't want to do the cleaning and get dirty so she carried the pails of milk around. Flo also grumbled about the dirt and her cleaning work was quite minimal.

"My granddaughter is up on the top fields," Giles told them. "She'll be back to help soon."

The granddaughter, Selby, did return fairly quickly in denim dungarees and with mud splattered in her blonde hair. She did not look impressed to see them.

"Who are _these _people?" she demanded.

"Just helping out," Giles told her.

She sniffed. "Not doing a very good job."

Behind her grandfather's back, the girl glared at Nila. Nila made a rude gesture in response. Kaida felt like joining her. What was this girl's problem?

At lunch, after Reid returned with new camping equipment, the girl continued to blithely insult them.

"Probably not even _good _Pokémon trainers," she muttered when Giles left the room.

"And you are?" Nila replied archly.

"I have a Mareep," she said. "We raise those too. It's powerful."

"Ooh. Nila has a Mareep too," Flo interjected.

"So? It probably has nothing on _my _Mareep," the girl said. "We won the annual Mareep fair."

Nila stood up. She hadn't even finished her lunch, Kaida noticed, surprised.

"Come on then," she said, clearly irritated enough because she was willing to abandon a meal. "I'll battle you."

Outside in the large front yard Selby sent out her Mareep. Nila sent hers forward too. They were a similar size and both sparked with electricity at the sight of each other.

"Mareep, use Tackle!" Selby ordered.

Nila smirked as Selby's Mareep charged towards hers. She had one up on that.

"Use Body Slam!" she ordered.

The move was far more powerful and Nila's Mareep sent the other Mareep flying. Selby's Mareep hit into the door of the farmhouse but jumped back to its feet immediately. It clattered its feet on the floor and used Discharge. Nila's Mareep met it with a Discharge of its own and their strength seemed to be fairly even as the electric attacks struck each other. Neither attack could force its way through.

"Mareep," Selby ordered. "Use Signal Beam!"

Now Nila didn't have _that_ move. A bizarre beam of alternating light emerged from Selby's Mareep and struck Nila's Pokémon. She had heard of it before and thought it was a bug move but she wasn't sure. Then, to Nila's horror, it seemed to confuse her Mareep, who staggered around in confusion, finally hitting into a low fence.

Selby laughed. "Yours hasn't even learned Signal Beam!" she taunted. "Guess it is rubbish!"

Then Nila's Mareep began to glow. Its form grew larger and larger and became upright and then the glow ended. Flaaffy emerged. Selby's jaw dropped.

"It's naked!" Rina laughed. "It has an old granny curly wig too!"

Nila glared at Rina. Yes, Flaaffy wasn't as cute as Mareep had been, but it wasn't all about appearances.

"All right, Flaaffy," she said. "Show that Mareep!"

Flaaffy responded with its own Signal Beam that struck through Mareep's next attack completely. The other Mareep thudded against the farm house door again and, this time, the force of the collision seemed to weaken it. Flaaffy finished it off nicely with another Body Slam.

"Well done, Mareep," Nila said. They'd shown Selby.

To her horror, Shelby burst into tears and stamped her feet. She returned Mareep to its Pokéball and charged back into the house, slamming the door furiously behind her.

"Why must people _cry_?" Nila asked.

"I'm not sure," John said, looking equally bemused.

Suddenly they heard a loud crash. They ran around the side of the house to see several men dressed in the black Team Rocket Uniform with a lorry. They had let down the back and that had to be what the loud noise was. They were attempting to herd Miltank in the back.

"Where's Giles?" Reid asked.

"He said something about the sick Miltank up the hill, remember?" John said.

"I'll go and get him," Reid said, darting off. He was the quickest because of his triathlon training and he had the endurance to run up the steep hills at speed.

They came to an unspoken agreement that, without Giles there, they would have to protect the Miltank from Team Rocket. John frowned. Why were they continually popping up all over the place? They were like cockroaches. Then again, the Moo Moo Milk produced at the farm was actually quite expensive. This was probably another money-making scheme then, since the Miltank from the farm weren't going to be tough battlers.

"I'm so sick of you lot," Kaida shouted at them.

The Rockets jumped and reached for their Pokéballs.

"This is getting very boring now," Nila commented.

Kaida and John nodded in agreement. The Rockets really needed to sing new tune now and again.

"Flaaffy, use Charge," Nila ordered. She might as well get a head start.

Flaaffy glowed as it powered itself up with electrical energy.

"What in Lugia's name are you doing?" Selby's voice screeched from the upstairs window of the farmhouse. She was hanging half out and did not look amused. She fired out a volley of quite impressive swearwords before yelling, "Miltank! Rollout them!"

Despite the fact that Giles had claimed that Miltank were hard to train, and that he only used his for farming, the Miltank all started to use the attack at impressive speed, sweeping the Rockets from their feet before they could release any Pokémon.

"And you others, destroy that stupid lorry!" Selby ordered.

Miltank horns were apparently very useful for flattening tyres. The sides of the lorry weren't as strong as required either. This was found out when some stray Rollout attacks slammed into its side and made some considerable dents.

"I've called the police!" Selby yelled, throwing a small vase out the window. It narrowly missed the head of one of the Rockets. "If you don't clear off then you're going to get it. Grandpappy will be back soon and he'll have you all!"

Below they all watched in amazement as the Rockets barrelled into the lorry and attempted to retreat. The tyres didn't move quickly but they managed to get out of the yard and onto one of the dirt tracks leading away from the farm.

"And don't come back, you filthy thieves!" Selby roared. She followed this up with a few more colourful curses.

Apparently Selby's rudeness _could_ be appropriate on occasion.

She thundered down the stairs and ran out into the yard, where she instructed the Miltank to go into their field. She admonished them before she left.

"Anyone tries to drag you anywhere then you use those moves we taught you!"

She turned back to the group, who were all rather impressed.

"What?" Selby snapped. "They're not battlers but they know how to protect themselves. Grandpappy isn't stupid. He knows how much they are worth."

When Giles returned with Reid the police had arrived. This time they had actually managed to arrest two of the Rockets – the other two had run off on foot – and had taken them into custody. Selby wasn't hopeful.

"They'll only escape and come back to bug us," she groused. "We need to train those Miltank some more."

John was quite interested in these training techniques because his Miltank was, at that moment, refusing to move. Rina even insulted it again and it stayed sat on the ground, waiting impatiently for food. Giles found this very amusing.

"Selby could do with a challenge," he said to John. "Are you coming back this way anytime soon?"

John look at the others and then shrugged. "I guess so."

"You could keep it here and she could raise it for a bit," Giles suggested.

"Thanks," John said, "but I should probably at least try to do it by myself."

Giles patted him heartily on the back. "That's the spirit. Although, if you have any trouble, don't hesitate to come back here."

Selby glared at her grandfather. Clearly she hoped they more than hesitated when thinking about coming back.

"She's quite the antisocial thing," Kaida remarked to Nila.

Selby overheard this and directed her glare at Kaida. Flo spotted this and pulled a grotesque face at her. Selby looked taken back for a moment. Kaida and Nila sniggered.

Giles gave them a few bottles of Moo Moo Milk to take with them to Olivine. John put it in with his ice packs but Giles still advised them to drink it quickly or it would go off. He then gave them some cheese that had been made with Moo Moo Milk at the farm. Apparently they were trying to branch out to other dairy products and had given it a try. Everyone gladly accepted the cheese but found it disappeared pretty quickly, by the next morning in fact, despite them not eating any. All eyes turned to Rina.

"Cheese?" she said, offering them what were presumably the last scraps.

Flo tried to snatch it from her but Rina withdrew her hand and stuffed the chunk in her mouth. She tried to talk around it but no one could understand her.

"She's a worse thief than your Hoothoot," Kaida complained, still remembering the demise of Cyndaquil's umbrella thanks to Hoothoot's sharp talons.

"Hoothoot has been very well behaved recently," John insisted.

No, Hoothoot had _not _been well behaved. They only hadn't complained because it seemed to like to switch items from one bag to another, since it didn't have a permanent nest, and so they normally found their possessions again. John was just selectively blind to the bad traits of his Pokémon.

"Hey," Rina said suddenly. "Where's my milk?!"

Nila snickered. "Revenge is sweet!"

She whipped out a bottle and glugged down the rest of it.

"That's it!" Rina said, whipping out a small notepad. "You get a cookie fine for being mean to me!"

They all goggled. Rina had been the one who had stolen _all _the cheese. She also had a tendency to steal all of their shiny coins. Now she was affronted over the loss of her milk!

Kaida peered over the list. Each page of the notepad had a different name written at the top and there were small, precise tally charts running down the side. They were all doing quite badly really but Flo was doing the worst. Nila was a close second. Reid didn't have many marks at all but that was probably because he made muttered marks about her insanity behind her back.

"I have a question," Nila said. "How exactly do you plan on enforcing this?"

Rina didn't seem to have thought that far ahead. She muttered something about Magikarp and vengeance. Flo snorted in disbelief.

"That thing is as useful as my Hoppip."

Magikarp glared at her darkly.

Flo shuddered. "It is glaring at me again!" she cried. "It thinks evil thoughts!"

"See," Rina said, perking up. "It _is _powerful."

"Only against Flo," Kaida said, "who is just as crazy as you."

"Well, she's losing," Rina said happily, "so that's good."

Magikarp, meanwhile, had turned its glare on Kaida. They would pay, it thought. They would all pay. If Magikarp could do evil, manic laughs… Then this Magikarp would be cackling away. Mwahaha! One day the world would belong to Magikarp! Yes, Magikarp would have total dominion over all.


	33. Chapter 33: rivals and scary collectors

A/N: This is just a note to say that we're both going off to separate universities soon. We'll still be writing the story, but we tend to do our best brainstorming together and we might have heavy workloads, so updates might be a bit slower or quite erratic. We'll still be talking, of course, and we don't intend to give the story up because it amuses our (large) childish sides greatly. We are in the process of writing chapters 43 & 44 now, so we have quite a few chapters in reserve that just need a bit of tweaking.

So... Thanks for reading all the reviews! This is mostly for the benefit of anonymous reviewers since we try to reply to everyone else... Unless we forgot (we are fools) and for that, sorry! Please keep the comments and any constructive criticism up. :)

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**33. Rivals and scary collectors**

The south route to Olivine City was long but on a gentle downhill slope which was made it pleasurable to walk along. Occasionally they would have to cross low hills but the paths and roads generally avoided them. On one such day, as they drew ever closer to Olivine City, they were walking along, Rina complaining about more missing socks and Flo commenting that she never seemed to run out, when they stumbled across a strange sight.

"Is that…?" Kaida asked.

"It is," Nila confirmed.

Kaida's face transformed into a look of loathing as she uttered the name of one of her most hated people. "Mary-Ann."

The girl on Kaida's most hated list – that also included Flo whenever she taunted Kaida about Matt and Morven for stealing all the Cyndaquil and hurting John and Reid – was sitting by the side of the road with her hands on her left ankle. A Sentret was hopping on its tail beside her, looking quite frantic.

"I think something is wrong," John said.

"Who cares?" Kaida muttered mutinously. She still followed John over. She wasn't completely heartless and she had to admit she was a bit curious.

"Oh," Mary-Ann said, as soon as she spotted Kaida. "It's you."

Kaida resisted the urge to stick her tongue out.

John knelt down and inspected the girl's ankle. It was red and swollen.

"I think I've broken it," Mary-Ann burst out.

John started to poke at it and ask her if she could move her feet and various other questions. In the end he determined that it was only twisted.

"You still need to see a Doctor, of course," John said. "Have you called an ambulance?"

"There's no signal," Mary-Ann said. "The hills are blocking it. There are no towns around either. I've tried to look."

John consulted his guide book and a map and decided that Mary-Ann was right. The closest form of civilisation – or at least most accessible – was Olivine City. They were still a day or so away from it, however, and it didn't look like Mary-Ann could walk very far by herself.

"Does anyone else have signal?" Nila asked. She had already checked her own phone.

"I do," Reid said. "No, wait, it's gone."

John glanced up at the darkening sky. "We'll keep walking a little more to see if we get any. I'll carry you."

Luckily Mary-Ann was fairly light and John tall and strong enough to bear her weight. She complained a little about the piggy back ride but even she seemed to have the sense to realise that they were rescuing her. Her Sentret bopped along beside her silently. Cyndaquil eyed it cautiously from Kaida's shoulder.

Try as they might, they didn't seem to be able to find any signal before nightfall. They pressed on for as long as they could but soon had to stop and set out camp. John used Totodile's Ice Fang to freeze some water and then he applied it to Mary-Ann's leg to try to prevent further swelling. He instructed the girl to hold the ice in place with a towel and then, with Reid and Kaida, started to make dinner.

"Hi," Flo said to Mary-Ann. "I'm Flo. Nice to meet you."

Mary-Ann looked Flo up and down, took in her puffy brown body warmer and bright arm warmers, and turned her nose up. Flo narrowed her eyes. Fine then. If that was how this girl was going to be… She slid over to Nila.

"What's her problem?" she asked.

"Snobby, spoiled, prissy?" Nila tried, shrugging. She had no lost love for the girl.

Mary-Ann overheard this and narrowed her eyes.

"You haven't evolved Chikorita yet then?" Mary-Ann said, spotting Chikorita firing a Razor Leaf at Totodile when it tried to steal some of Chikorita's food. "You said I was a disgrace to all Chikorita trainers last time I saw you, but yours hasn't even evolved."

"There is a lot more to battling than that," Nila said, unruffled.

"How? Evolved forms are stronger," Mary-Ann retorted. "It means you have raised your Pokémon well." She sneered. "And it is _still _using Razor Leaf. My Bayleef learned Magical Leaf a long time ago. Clearly it is much stronger."

"We'll see about that," Nila said simply.

"OK," John said, drawing out the word slowly as he approached. "Enough bitching for now. Time to change the ice." He took the towel and replaced it with a new one. "Why don't you send out your Pokémon and give them some food."

Mary-Ann reached to her belt and released all of her Pokémon. Bayleef, Azumarill, and Pidgeot appeared next to Sentret.

"Of course," she said, as John helped her put out the food into their personalised bowls, "these aren't my only Pokémon. I want a strong one of each type so we can be ready for anything. At home I have Raichu, Butterfree, Hitmonchan, Donphan, Arbok, Xatu, and Magnemite. I'll be training Magnemite yet because it needs to evolve. Plus, Mummy managed to find the Thunder Stone for me and she'll get a Fire Stone for Vulpix too."

Kaida had stared at the Vulpix as soon as it came out. It was so _cute_. It was such a shame it had such a dreadful, horrible trainer who could not fully appreciate its awesome power. When Vulpix went over to Mary-Ann and she stroked it on the head affectionately, Kaida scowled. Well, Vulpix might seem like it liked its trainer but that was probably a façade. Mary-Ann was just so mean normally!

Totodile leapt over to investigate the new Pokémon and knocked Pidgeot's bowl aside accidentally. A little of the food spilled out. Mary-Ann was incensed.

"Get that idiot away from my Pokémon!" she screeched.

Pidgeot used Wing Attack to blow Totodile backwards. Totodile wasn't so easily dislodged and responded by sinking into Pidgeot with Ice Fang. Mary-Ann's Pokémon immediately rushed to the bird's defence and Bayleef used Magical Leaf to throw back Totodile. John leapt into the fray and pulled the Pokémon apart.

"Stop it!" he ordered. "Stop it right now!"

The fighting ceased. John looked sternly to Mary-Ann.

"It was an accident," he reprimanded. "There was no need for your Pokémon to attack like that."

Mary-Ann looked sullenly to one side and did not reply.

"Totodile shouldn't have retaliated either. Totodile, you better be sorry."

Totodile shifted from foot to foot and lowered its head, looking mildly repentant.

"Good," John said decisively. "Now, that's over. Mary-Ann, would you like some soup?"

Totodile didn't take long to go back to harassing other Pokémon – but fortunately not Mary-Ann's Pokémon this time – as Mary-Ann accepted some soup. She complained the bowl was too hot and the soup was too cold and generally acted miserably at the end of the night, although John would not accept complaints about her.

"She's hurt," he said. "Of course she is going to be grumpy."

"You saw her last time," Kaida reminded him. "She's awful!"

"Give her a chance," John placated.

They could see he was struggling to remain impartial though when Mary-Ann spat out some of his soup. Reid looked particularly annoyed at this because he didn't see the sense in wasting food, which Mary-Ann was clearly doing.

"If she doesn't want it," he complained quietly to Kaida and Nila, "then I'll eat it. But she's just stirring it around, spilling it on the floor, and spitting it out."

Mary-Ann saw Reid watching and glared. He glared back. Picky eaters irked him. He only put up with Nila's strange habits because he thought she was an obsessive lunatic. Plus she normally gave him whatever she didn't want. Wait, why did he hate fussy eaters again? That meant more food for him…

Thankfully Mary-Ann was quiet enough when they all went to sleep because she was in her own tent, which John put up for her while she bossed him around, saying he wasn't securing it into the ground properly. John had just ignored her, however, and given the others a look that told them that they were expected to do the same whenever Mary-Ann was rude to them. Forget being polite, Kaida thought, as privately she felt Mary-Ann was lucky she hadn't got a backpack thrown at her face.

The next morning Kaida was surprised to see that Flo and Mary-Ann were chatting quite amiably, although there was a glint to Mary-Ann's eyes that Kaida did not like the look of.

"Yeah," Flo said. "He's got quite a few Pokémon. I don't know them all but there is Ariados and Misdreavus, I think…"

With horror, Kaida realised they were talking about Matt. Oh _Lugia_. What had Flo told her?! Had she mentioned Kaida's crush? What about the embarrassing things she had done? Doubtless Flo had already provided her with ample ammunition… Kaida struggled out of her sleeping back, climbed out of the tent, and ran over to them. She slapped a hand over Flo's mouth and pulled her away.

"Flo!" she seethed. "You _idiot_! I'm going to kill you!"

"What?!" Flo squeaked. "I was being friendly. She seems interested about you! I think she likes you really."

"Or she wants to get loads of stuff on me so she can ruin my life!"

"Oh," Flo said slowly, with dawning comprehension. "Yeah, that _does_ make more sense because she was still saying horrible stuff about you."

Kaida smacked Flo around the head. "Idiot! What if she sees Matt one day and tells him?!" She glared at Flo. "If she says anything to him then I will kill you."

Flo eeped. She made a quick retreat, not wanting to test Kaida's temper any further.

"Why do you all travel together anyway?" Mary-Ann demanded. "Too chicken to travel alone?"

"Some people have things called friends," Nila drawled. "I know it may not be a concept that you personally are used to…"

"Shut up," Mary-Ann snapped.

Nila smirked. Kaida mentally high fived her.

"Do you like cookies?" Rina asked.

Mary-Ann gave Rina a look that clearly suggested that she thought she was lower than the dirt on the bottom of her shoe. When Flo returned from hiding she gave Flo a similar look. Kaida huffed. While they were mean to Flo and Rina that was permissible. They were friends. She wasn't going to let Mary-Ann insult them! She narrowed her eyes and Mary-Ann narrowed her own blue eyes in response.

"So, I see you have a lot of fire types," Mary-Ann continued as she bit into her toast. "Still only able to raise one type?"

"I can raise other types!" Kaida said hotly.

"Well, why don't you?" Mary-Ann challenged. "It doesn't seem smart to rely on just one type of Pokémon. What about type advantages? What are you going to do when you face a water trainer?"

"There are other things to battling than a type advantage," Kaida retorted. "I can handle myself just fine."

Mary-Ann raised her eyebrows in disbelief and took another bite of toast. "Eugh, too much butter. How are you not fat? Your arteries must be so clogged."

She threw the toast on the floor beside her. Reid clenched his hands into fists but John put a bracing hand on his shoulder, stopping him from letting his fury out. Kaida patted Reid's arm in consolation. She'd like a piece of Mary-Ann too. Unfortunately John had forbidden it. Besides, she was injured. It wouldn't be very sporting.

"Ooh, berets!" Rina said.

Mary-Ann whipped around and saw Rina was modelling a black beret.

"That's mine, you thief!" she screeched, attempting to lunge but failing because of her bad leg. "Give it back!"

"I found it on the ground," Rina said, confused, handing it over. When it was close enough to her, Mary-Ann snatched it and glared furiously up at the purple haired girl.

"You steal it and let it get dirty?!" she snapped, brushing the hat furiously.

"I didn't steal it!" Rina insisted.

Kaida saw Hoothoot innocuously preening its wing feathers. She snorted. Apparently Hoothoot hadn't appreciated Mary-Ann's slights to its trainer even if John had been prepared to put up with them. Yes, Kaida thought, holding back a laugh, Hoothoot had officially redeemed itself from breaking Cyndaquil's umbrella.

John once again had to carry Mary-Ann as they continued towards Olivine City with no signal on their phones. Everyone had their phones out now, desperate to find a connection so they could get rid of Mary-Ann. They all felt sorry for John. He was the only one big enough to carry her for any length of time so he couldn't really get away from her.

At lunch they stopped again and let their Pokémon roam around for a bit after they had eaten. They called them back after a while, unable to bear Mary-Ann's complaints any longer and eager to get back on the road and the search for signal, but, to Kaida's horror, some of the Pokémon did not return when called, despite being told not to go out of earshot. One of these Pokémon was Cyndaquil.

"I'll stay here," John said, "but Totodile isn't back. Hoothoot, do you know where they are?"

Hoothoot bobbed his head and flew off. Kaida, Nila, and Reid ran after it. They climbed up a low hill until they found another foot path with a few shrubs and bushes. It was there Kaida saw the unthinkable. It was Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil in the arms of another trainer. A trainer was hugging Cyndaquil. What was going on?!

"Oi!" Kaida screamed, shaking her fists. "That's my Cyndaquil!"

The trainer in question looked up. She had bright red hair – it had to be fake – and was about their age. She was slim and a little shorter than Nila, which unfortunately, meant she was a fair bit taller than Kaida.

"Your Cyndaquil is cute," she said happily, as Kaida approached with fury in her eyes.

Kaida reached out and grabbed Cyndaquil at the same time it leapt into her arms. By the girl's feet were Chikorita and Totodile.

"Why were you hugging _my _Cyndaquil?" Kaida demanded.

"I was just being friendly," the girl said, still looking cheerful in the face of Kaida's rage.

Cyndaquil nudged Kaida's cheek with its nose. Kaida checked it over for any signs of damage. If this girl had hurt her Cyndaquil then Kaida was going to wreak blood vengeance. Fortunately Cyndaquil appeared to be fine. Kaida double checked. She looked down at Chikorita and Totodile, who looked perfectly happy standing at the stranger's feet. Come to think of it… Cyndaquil had been protesting…

"Oh come on," the girl said, still smiling. "I only fed him a small drug that would knock him out so I could kidnap him."

"WHAT?!" Kaida screeched.

"Yeah, you guys really ruined my plans," the girl said seriously.

Kaida looked at her Cyndaquil in horror. She pulled back a fist. It was stopped by Nila.

"She's joking," Nila said, stopping Kaida's revenge. She looked down at Chikorita. "Ready to come back then?"

Chikorita looked at the new girl.

"Traitor," Nila said indifferently. "Come on. You too, Totodile!"

"Can I come?" the girl asked, picking up the dancing Totodile.

"Eh, sure," Reid said.

Totodile had gone relatively still in her arms. It was quite bizarre because Totodile normally hated being picked up.

"How did you get Totodile to calm down?" Reid asked in amazement.

"It's all about knowing their natures," the girl told him. "I'm Hirune."

Kaida was still glaring at the girl for daring to touch her Cyndaquil. Nila rolled her eyes.

"You are scarily possessive," she told Kaida.

"You don't even care that she was touching your Pokémon?" Kaida demanded.

"Yeah, I'm heartbroken that Chikorita had defected to another trainer," Nila said sarcastically. "See my tears of pain."

She laughed. Kaida scowled at her. She shouldn't have trusted Nila to take this threat seriously. Hadn't Nila paid any attention to stranger danger lessons at school? This girl could be anyone! She said as much.

"Oh, please, you were quick enough trusting Matt," Nila said dismissively. "You just don't like that Cyndaquil likes someone else."

That was not true. Kaida had no objection to Cyndaquil liking Nila, John, Reid, Flo, or Rina. Well, perhaps not Flo, because she might teach it freaky dance moves. Maybe not Rina either because she might get it trapped in a net like she had with her and Flo in Ilex Forest. Probably not Reid either because he had a Snorlax that might squash Cyndaquil… John was OK but his Totodile could be a bit of a bully and Nila wasn't really sensitive enough to give Cyndaquil the appropriate amount of snuggling every day… Wait…

"I'm not possessive!" she seethed.

Nila patted her on the head patronisingly. "Sure."

Kaida did a Rina and tried to bite Nila's fingers. That made Nila withdraw that hand pretty quickly. Ha. Kaida had shown her…

Back at the camp Mary-Ann was moaning about her ankle and demanding they leave immediately. John hadn't said a word against her but he was packing away with a little more force than usual and his jaw looked tense. Kaida really hoped he would snap at her. She would pay good money to see it.

"Who is this?" John asked.

"I'm Hirune," the girl told him, holding out Totodile, who was now squirming to get free. "Is this yours?"

"Yeah, you found him?"

"She was petting and hugging them," Kaida groused.

"Oh, that's nice," John said. "I'm surprised he let you hold him for so long."

Totodile jumped out of Hirune's arms and onto the floor. There is performed a little jig around her before Chikorita glared and the pair descended into a play fight.

"Can I have him?" Hirune asked John.

John spluttered. "Uh, what?"

"Totodile," Hirune said, not looking as if she had asked a strange question at all. "I have stuff to trade."

"Uh, no, I don't really want to trade him."

"Oh, too bad," Hirune said, pulling a face. "I really want a Totodile."

Kaida watched Hirune suspiciously. She was odd to say the least. Befriending their Pokémon, worming her way to their camp, asking so blatantly for Totodile… Kaida didn't like her. She narrowed her eyes.

Nila saw where Kaida was looking and rolled her eyes.

"You are going to hold a grudge for a long time, aren't you?"

"Yes," Kaida said churlishly, scarcely resisting the urge to add, childishly, "and you can't do anything about it!" She managed to keep her mouth shut. She'd keep an eye on this Hirune. The girl had a stupid name too. A stupid name for a Cyndaquil thief. Fitting.

"I'm going to Olivine too," Hirune said. "Can I come with you? Oo," she said, her eyes widening. "Is that pie?"

"It's really good," Reid said. "Want some?"

The camp was packed up and they continued onwards, with Reid and Hirune lagging behind to share some of the delicious pie they had had for lunch. Kaida soon forgot about Hirune because John had insisted she keep him company and this meant listening to more of Mary-Ann's insults.

"And that stupid red haired freak back there," Mary-Ann grumbled.

Kaida touched her own red hair. Mary-Ann had insulted it before but at least hers was natural. It was quite a nice shade. Wasn't it? Mary-Ann had long, blonde hair and Kaida knew she took a lot of pride in it. Absently Kaida let herself daydream about Mary-Ann's horrified reaction should Kaida cut a chunk off in the middle of the night. This moved onto imagining Mary-Ann bald, which was very useful in drowning her out.

As they continued towards Olivine City, Hirune popped up next to Nila, just ahead, and started up a conversation. Nila looked extremely disinterested until Hirune mentioned her favourite sports team and they began to chat. Kaida tuned out. She wasn't a sport fan. However, she snapped back into the conversation when Hirune abruptly, almost mid sentence, changed the topic.

"Will you trade me your Chikorita?" she asked.

"No," Nila said.

"Annoying," Hirune said, with a sigh. "I really want Chikorita."

"You really wanted Totodile," Nila said.

Hirune shrugged. "I like certain Pokémon."

Kaida narrowed her eyes. If what she thought was coming happened… She didn't think she could be held responsible for her reaction.

Sure enough, eventually, Hirune ended up at Kaida's side just before they stopped to camp that night. Kaida noticed that Hirune watched her feet as she walked, seeming to pace very precisely, avoiding all the little bumps and objects on the path if possible.

"Fire Pokémon are cool," she said.

Mary-Ann snorted.

Hirune ignored her. She didn't bother to start up a conversation. Instead, she asked directly, "Wanna give me your Cyndaquil?"

Kaida lashed out almost instinctively but Hirune ducked.

"Violent," she commented. "I'll take that as a no!"

"Yeah, that's a no!" Kaida exploded. "You cannot have my Cyndaquil! You can't just go up to people and ask for their Pokémon?"

"Why not?" Hirune asked calmly. "I'm asking not demanding. You don't have to say yes."

"Well, I'm _definitely_ not saying yes!" Kaida snapped. "I can't believe you! You just come over and–" Hirune walked off while Kaida was mid sentence. "Hey, I wasn't finished!"

Hirune ignored her. Kaida fumed. She was still fuming when they settled down for the dinner. Hirune assembled her own things rapidly, released a sole Pokémon, Sableye, and helped John make quite a strange, but admittedly tasty, meal, counting every single stir she made during the preparation aloud. Kaida scowled at her throughout. Cyndaquil was _her _Pokémon and no one could take it away. _Ever_. The audacity of this girl…

"You are _still _sulking?" Nila said, rolling her eyes. Kaida spitefully hoped they got stuck in the top of her head. Nila continued, "She took no for an answer, didn't she?"

"She shouldn't have asked?"

"She should have recognised the invincible bond between you and Cyndaquil and should have kept her mouth shut?" Nila said mockingly.

"Yes," Kaida said, glaring at Nila. This was not the time for teasing.

Nila rolled her eyes and moved away. Some friend she was, Kaida thought, taking the side of the girl trying to steal away Cyndaquil…

"Are you sure you don't want to trade with me?" Hirune said, to Nila, John, and Kaida.

"NO!" Kaida screeched.

Hirune laughed. "You need anger management."

Kaida threw the heaviest object next to her at Hirune's head. Unfortunately this was a roll and Hirune ducked and Kaida got glared at by Reid for wasting food. Also, Rina seemed to interpret this as an opportunity for a food fight and dumped some spaghetti on Flo's head. Flo screeched.

OK, even Kaida had to break her grumpy resolve and laugh along with everyone else – apart from Flo and Mary-Ann – because the disgruntled face Flo had pulled _was _hilarious.

"Barbarians," Mary-Ann muttered.

Hirune laughed and grabbed some of her own spaghetti and threw it in Mary-Ann's face. It slopped all the way from her forehead to her jaw and then fell onto her white top, leaving what was probably a permanent stain.

"Oops," Hirune said, although she didn't look very sorry at all because she poked her tongue out a second later.

Kaida watched Mary-Ann splutter indignantly and finally scream with rage. She couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

"I couldn't help myself," Hirune said, with wide grey eyes, after John had finished cleaning Mary-Ann up. "You were so prissy. I had to mess with it."

Kaida bit back another laugh. She couldn't help but revise her opinion of Hirune even if she was a sneaky Cyndaquil stealing cow. To do that to Mary-Ann… That was priceless. Kaida had taken the mental picture and would treasure it forever.

"This top was _expensive,_" Mary-Ann raged.

"Then why are you wearing it while camping?" Hirune asked, gesturing to her own ratty clothes. "Seems a bit silly to me."

Mary-Ann could only glare. Then she looked to John. "I want to go to my tent."

John helped her up and into her tent and she zipped it up in a fury and refused to come out. Her Sentret pawed the side of the tent until she finally let it in. This was the last they saw of her for a while. Of course, nobody complained. They were quite glad to be rid of her.

"Why do you want Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita anyway?"

"Uh, I have mild obsessive compulsive disorder. Sort of." Hirune said. She pulled a face. "Mum says I imagine it."

"Are you a clean freak like Nila?" Kaida asked curiously.

"No, I have a thing with numbers," Hirune said, drumming her fingers on alternate legs. When Kaida watched more closely she saw that Hirune drummed equal amounts on each leg and they were always multiples of three. Nine on one. Nine on the other. Six on one. Six on the other. Three on one. Three on the other. Then back up again… She thought back to Hirune's strange pacing and the way she had counted her stirs when helping John make the meal.

"I have to go up stairs so I end on my left leg," Hirune said, still sounding perfectly happy and cheerful. "I tend to avoid them unless I know how many here are." She frowned as she thought but her face quickly lit up. "Oh, yeah, and I have a thing with the volume on the television and radio. I can go a bit crazy when it isn't right." She shook her head. "Anyway, I like to have Pokémon in threes. I only have one main Pokémon at the moment." She gestured to Sableye who was sitting silently, unmoving, next to her, as it had for the whole night. "That's because it is a ghost and dark Pokémon and they have no type weaknesses. If I have Pokémon they have to be in matching pairs. Or in threes. Like your Pokémon. They have to have something in common," she explained. "Professor Elm gives them out in New Bark, right? They match. Then grass beats water and water beats fire and fire beats grass. They cancel each other out." She smiled. "It's strange but it works in my head."

It was strange. Kaida felt a bit bad for Hirune now but there was still no way she was giving her Cyndaquil. She snuggled her Pokémon closer.

"But no big deal," she said. "When I get to Olivine I might even go by a boat to New Bark Town and ask him if he has any."

"He probably has Totodile and Chikorita but not Cyndaquil," Kaida told her. "They got stolen."

"I can't have two," Hirune said, looking disturbed at the thought. "I have to have all three or it won't work." She shuddered. "Who stole them?"

"This guy called Morven," Kaida said.

Morven. He'd caused so many problems. She couldn't wait to get her own back.

"Oh," Hirune said. "You mean Morven Smickle?"

They all went silent.

"Dark hair, dark eyes," Hirune said. "Yeah, he lives in Olivine."

Dark hair and dark eyes described a _lot _of people but Kaida felt her hopes rising. Had she finally found the kidnapper of the Cyndaquil? The boy who had put John and Reid in the hospital because of his trespassing in Ecruteak City? He lived in Olivine.

"He's in the tower," Hirune told them. "Being all cliché and dark and morbid." She giggled suddenly. "The last time I saw him he got really annoyed because I said that. Oh, wait, I said he had read too many gothic novels and wanted to be macabre and it was all a bit silly really. He set his bodyguards on me." She grinned. "He's fun to annoy."

Bodyguards? This was sounding more and more like their guy. How many dark haired, dark eyed people named Morven had bodyguards that attacked people? It had to be him, Kaida thought hopefully.

"Will you lot shut up?" Mary-Ann called from her tent. "I want to go to sleep!"

"Cry me a river," Nila muttered.

"Why is she even travelling with you?" Hirune asked. "She's not very nice."

"Believe me," Kaida said grimly, "I wish she wasn't. But she's hurt herself. We can't get any signal on our phones so we have to carry her." John coughed. "John has to carry her," Kaida corrected.

"Oh," Hirune said. There was a minute of silence. "I have signal."

They all stared at her. Kaida acted first.

"Give me your phone!" she demanded.

Hirune pulled it out and Kaida snatched it immediately. Hirune was telling the truth. She did have signal. Kaida fell to her knees and started to thank Lugia. Yes. They could get Mary-Ann away from them. _Finally_. While she was thanking her favourite legendary Pokémon, John took the phone and started to call for an ambulance. They weren't that far from Olivine City by car so they were told one would be there shortly.

"Mary-Ann, we've called for an ambulance," John said, patting the side of her tent. "Get up and get out."

Mary-Ann stuck her head out of her tent, enraged.

"You couldn't have done this earlier," she hissed. "I just took off my make-up! Now I have to put it back on."

Honestly, Kaida couldn't really tell the difference, but Mary-Ann still sat applying it while John packed up her things.

"You could say thank you to us," Kaida said quietly, when no one else was listening.

Mary-Ann shot her a dirty look.

Kaida rolled her eyes in response. "Look, I know you hate me because I know your secret but I'm not gonna tell anyone!"

Mary-Ann glared. "That _never _happened," she said slowly.

Kaida sighed. Yes, this was the real reason that Mary-Ann detested her. Well, part of the reason. Mary-Ann was still a snob who thought Kaida was a filthy ruffian. But they had been sort of friends once until Mary-Ann had come around her house and met Kaida's grandmother, who had proceeded to scare the young blonde until she wet herself. Mary-Ann had been so embarrassed she had broken all ties with Kaida and had refused to speak to her except for insults ever since.

"I won't tell," Kaida promised.

Mary-Ann continued to glare. Kaida gave up.

The ambulance arrived and then men asked whether any of them were going to ride with her to the hospital. They all looked at each other. More time in her company? No thanks…

"Ooh, free ride," Hirune said, grabbing her stuff and jumping in. "Sure."

"Hey," Kaida said. "Wait!"

But the ambulance doors were closed and they were already driving off. Kaida's jaw dropped. Great. Finally someone knew where Morven lived and she had just disappeared and they had no way of contacting her. Olivine wasn't exactly a small place. Although, she supposed a tower might stand out… She couldn't lose too much hope.

Still, it was still annoying, she thought, patting Cyndaquil absently. But, on the bright side, at least Hirune was far, far away from her favourite fire Pokémon. She didn't want to have to hit her now she sort of liked her.

"Hey," Reid said suddenly, glaring after the speeding vehicle and Hirune. "What a thief! She took the rest of the pie!"


	34. Chapter 34: bizarre family relations

**A/N: **In this chapter there is a conversation about food. Do not ask us about animals in the Pokémon world, please. It makes our heads hurt... :(

Yes, that was a cop out, but somehow I'm sure we'll all survive.

* * *

**34. Bizarre family relations and gym leader blues**

For a major port, Olivine City had done well at remaining small and traditional with houses built from the same stones as the docks and the tall lighthouse that was prominent on a peninsula. The town sloped down to the sea and the houses were built in lines, moving up from the bay to the highest points of land. Olivine would have been completely quaint and scenic if not for a few newer buildings, including new work to the harbour and a long pier that was surrounded by many modern boats.

The only tower that Kaida could see was the lighthouse. Was this the tower that Morven was supposed to live in? She knew that some people did live in lighthouses but it appeared this one was open to the public, which would be a bit odd for a house. Perhaps Hirune had been mistaken and he lived by the tower? There were no houses on the peninsula, or along the isthmus, but there were plenty clustered after that.

They went to stay with Flo's Aunt, Marigold, who was related to Flo on her father's side. She turned out to be a very distinctive woman: tall, bulky, and with quite a dark moustache lining her upper lip. She had dark, slicked back hair pulled into a tight bun and a large, protruding nose. She was wrapped in a faux fur outfit that reminded them all of a strange dressing gown. Apparently a lack of fashion sense was common to all members of Flo's family.

Her house was situated near the top of the slope up from the sea and was fair size with luxurious contents. It was ugly, but at least the carpets and curtains matched with the same disgusting floral pattern, and it came with perks like a walk in power shower and a whirlpool bath. Nila was in cleaning heaven.

However the house was also lined, along cluttered shelves and giant glass cabinets, with fancy china. It seemed Marigold was somewhat of a collector and she was very strict about them.

"No throwing, running, jostling," she commanded in a heavy accent. "You break anything and you stay here and work until you pay for it!"

They all nodded quite meekly. Reid muttered something about preferring to stay in the trainer houses. John swiftly recalled Totodile to its Pokéball. There was no way it could be given free reign in a house with such delicate, expensive objects, and he certainly didn't have the money to pay for any breakages.

"I make you pie," Marigold continued. "You sit nicely and eat it."

They all sat around a long, dark wooded dining table and waited for her to finish baking in the kitchen. They didn't dare move. Kaida and Nila were reminded of Kaida's grandmother, who could lash out with a fearsome temper. They got this sense with Marigold too.

She also broke them drinks of cool, homemade lemonade which was actually excellent. Rina gulped hers down in record time and slapped the glass down on the table. At this point Marigold entered with the pie and her eyes widened with horror. She put the pie down with a clatter and swooped over to pluck the glass up.

"Use coasters, idiot!" she said forcefully. "This table is very expensive!"

She glared down at Rina quite fiercely and Rina squeaked in agreement.

"Now eat pie," she said, after putting their plates on the mats in front of them.

Nila poked her pie and wrinkled her nose.

"Eat up," Marigold urge. "Wait, I go get more lemonade."

As soon as she left the room, Nila shovelled her pie onto Reid's place. Reid, who had already eaten half of his, made a loud noise of protest, but he couldn't actually say anything due to his mouth being full. Footsteps indicated Marigold was returning and he quickly shovelled the rest of his pie in his mouth – so there was only one slice left on the plate – and tried to look inconspicuous and cover his bulging cheeks.

"You finished already?" Marigold said to Nila, shocked.

"I really liked your pie," Nila said in the most serious tone she could muster.

"Ah, hearty eater!" Marigold said, pulling what had to be a grin, although looked more like a look of extreme constipation. "I bring you more!"

Nila blanched. Next to her Chikorita looked equally ill.

Reid, previously protesting, shrugged as he swallowed the rest of the pie and started on Nila's. "I'll help."

"You better," Nila said. "That meat looks gross. From now on, I'm vegetarian."

"When have you ever eaten meat before anyway?" Kaida asked as she poked her own pie unhappily.

Nila shrugged. It was dead animals. She didn't like to eat dead things. It had to be unsanitary, no matter how carefully it was cooked.

Marigold plopped more pie in front of Nila and sat down at the table with them. Nila looked miserably at her plate and started to cut it up under Flo's Aunt's watchful eye.

"So," Marigold said. "Why you all here in Olivine?"

They were all quiet. Nobody wanted to speak first and end up under her scrutiny. She was an intimidating woman.

"I thought I'd travel and get more experience for my contests," Flo piped up finally.

"You still into that pish-posh?!" Marigold demanding. "I tell your mother, you are too easy on that girl! Dancing! It is like coordinating. Soft option."

Flo was silenced. She looked vaguely mutinous but didn't dare contradict her Aunt.

"Battling. That's the thing. Or at least those sporty contests. You know I was heavy weight champion along with my partner Machoke?"

They all tried to look suitably impressed, nodding and murmuring indistinctly.

"I give it up," Marigold said. "Too old. Machoke works down in docks in the day. You see him later. I live here with my cats."

On cue, a small meow was heard as a spindly purple cat entered the room. It definitely wasn't native to Johto. John whipped out his treasured Pokédex – he had barely let it out of his sight since Bill had given it to him in Ecruteak City – and pressed for information.

"Glameow," his Pokédex announced. "It hides its spiteful tendency of hooking its laws into the nose of its Trainer if it isn't fed."

Marigold burst into laughter when she heard that description, patting her cat Pokémon on the head with her heavy hand. Its head sank under weight and it looked most displeased, unleashing its claws. Marigold just gave it a look and it slunk away sulkily. Clearly it knew who was boss.

Nila, who had taken advantage of Marigold's distraction to put more food on Reid's plate, pulled out her Pokédex. Kaida followed in suit. Both of their descriptions were different to John's – and to each other – but they both described Glameow as fickle.

"I got first Glameow when I toured in Sinnoh," Marigold said, looking nostalgic as the memories returned to her. Then she slammed her fist on the table, making them all flinch. "That is were I receive great champion title. Hoenn too. Shame those places are home to so many wishy-washy beauty contests. Strength! That is what matters!" She coughed. "I go now. I sent my apologies about your little party, Flo. Twelve. A fine age. But I could not leave my cats."

She stood up but was stopped when the door was pushed open. Previously Glameow had slid through a crack with its skinny body but now waddled in a far larger specimen. Cyndaquil, rightfully intimidated, squirmed closer to its trainer while Kaida, John, and Nila each whipped out their Pokédex again. Kaida's went off first.

"Purugly. It is a brazen brute that barges its way into another Pokémon's nest and claims it as its own."

"Brazen brute?" Reid mouthed. They all sniggered.

"To make itself appear intimidating beefy," Nila's Pokédex added, "it tightly cinches its waist with its twin tails."

Just as John's Pokédex went off, the Purugly turned and glared at them. They all recoiled. That was one fat, ugly Pokémon… A piece of pie fell from Flo's gaping mouth and hit her plate. She was disgusted. She continued to stare, with her mouth wide open, until John cuffed her around the shoulder, silently reprimanding her for her bad manners.

"Ah, hallo Pookikins," Marigold cooed, her demeanour transforming immediately as she chucked the grumpy Pokémon under the chin. "How is my little Pom Pom today."

They all stared, transfixed with horror at the peculiar scene.

"They were quite mean on those Pokédex, weren't they? My ickle, wickle Fluffy."

She looked back up and her face switched to strict and serious.

"Finish the pie. I must go out. Lock the door if you leave."

She looked back at Purugly and her face was instantly back to soft and cooing.

"I'll see you later, Tiny!"

She chucked the sour looking cat under the chin again before straightening up and walking out. A few minutes later they heard the front door slam. They all watched as Purugly turned its head back towards them and started to glare again. They inched backwards. It looked like it would pounce at any moment. Finally it whipped its tail and stalked out of the room again. They all let out relieved sighs.

"It's hideous," Flo said, revolted.

Nila scraped the rest of her pie onto Reid's plate. She looked sickened. It had been in front of her far too long.

"Is your Aunt foreign?" Rina asked suddenly. "She speaks funny."

They all groaned and rolled their eyes at her. As if it hadn't been obvious.

"Yeah, she's only dad's half-sister," Flo told them. "It's complicated."

Once the pie was finished, and the dishes washed, they went out into the city to look for the Pokémon Gym. However, when they found it, they discovered that it was closed. A message was taped to the door.

"Olivine City Gym will be closed until further notice due to the unavoidable absence of the leader, Jasmine," John read aloud. He frowned. "Odd. Must be an emergency."

"Where do you think she is?" Kaida asked. They needed to know when she was going to be back so they could battle!

"Doesn't say," John said, shrugging, "but if we asked around then we could probably find out."

It didn't take that long to find out that Jasmine was at the lighthouse so they headed in that direction. Rina soon got distracted by some cookie ice cream and, despite the relatively gloomy day, she decided to go and get some. Flo went with her and the other four progressed onwards. Kaida was hoping they could gather some clues about Morven while they were at it. If only Hirune hadn't disappeared… She could have pointed them in the right direction.

The light house was old, made from dark bricks and spiralled with moss. They entered at the bottom and enquired about Jasmine to a man at a desk, who insisted they contribute a small fee to climb the tower. Huffing, they paid up the minimal amount, and were told that Jasmine was on the top floor. They looked over to the small, windy stairs. It was going to be long walk.

Half way up and even Reid was looking a little tired.

"You're supposed to be a triathlete," John said, when Reid suggested they take a break. "Shouldn't you be fit?"

"Nothing I do, in any way, resembles climbing up cramped little stairs like those," Reid retorted. "Besides. It's lunchtime. I'm hungry."

"We had pie just over an hour ago," Kaida said.

"I didn't," Nila muttered.

Kaida rolled her eyes. It was Nila's own fault that she was so fussy. The pie had actually been of reasonable quality.

"That wasn't lunch," Reid insisted. "That was a mid morning snack."

"At twelve o'clock," Kaida said, raising her eyebrows.

But John was already biting into an apple and they all sat down on the floor and joined him. Nila sipped a carton of apple juice and shared a packet of crisps with Kaida. Reid tucked into some pasties he had bought from a shop near the ice cream parlour that Rina had disappeared into.

After their short break they continued up the creaky stairs towards the top of the tower. Each floor grew smaller and smaller with the curve of the tower but the stairs seemed to get steeper and steeper and they stumbled several times. It didn't help that the stairs were quite well worn in the middle and so weren't an even platform to stand on. They managed well enough and soon found themselves on the highest floor – apart from the outside part with the balcony right at the top – and they saw a brunette woman patting a hunched over yellow Pokémon.

It was an Ampharos and it did not look well. Its head was drooping and it coughed weakly and spluttered when the woman – the steel gym leader Jasmine – tried to give it some strange looking medicine. It let out a low whine and shook his head. Jasmine stroked its neck and muttered soothingly, withdrawing her hand swiftly when the Pokémon sparked and then sniffed pathetically. They walked towards the pair and, when they were a few metres away, Jasmine finally looked up.

"Oh," she said. "Hello."

"You are Jasmine, the gym leader, yes?" Kaida asked.

Jasmine nodded and then understanding came into her eyes. "You want to challenge me? Sorry, I can't. I can't leave Amphy here all alone. I have to take care of him."

"Oh," Kaida said, floundering for something else to say. "So you have no idea when you'll be back."

"Sorry," Jasmine apologised again, "but the medicine isn't working." She sighed. "I have ordered some special medicine from a man in Cianwood but he refuses to ship it. Its very valuable and he doesn't want to risk it being stolen. He wants me to go get it and I'm booked on a ship in three days but… I just can't stand to leave poor Amphy. Plus, I have to leave my Magneton here to power the light for the lighthouse. It is a poor substitute for Ampharos, but I don't really have a choice."

"How come Magneton doesn't work very well?" John asked. "It is still an electrical Pokémon."

Jasmine shrugged her slender shoulders. "It just doesn't have the right touch that Ampharos does. We've always used Ampharos to power the tower. This one trained since it was a baby Mareep. It helps that it knows moves like Signal Beam. It can funnel the light in a similar way."

"Nila has a Flaaffy," Reid said.

Nila looked at Reid sharply, wondering what his point was.

"Well," Reid said, putting his hands up defensively. "Don't get mad with me, but maybe you could lend your Flaaffy to the tower for a bit."

"Flaaffy doesn't exactly have lighthouse training," Nila pointed out.

"Well, Jasmine could give it a crash course," Reid persuaded her.

John seemed to have caught on. "Yeah, it would actually be very good for Flaaffy to learn those sort of skills. It could get a lot stronger."

Jasmine looked up hopefully. "Can I see your Flaaffy?"

Nila gave a resigned sigh and released her Pokémon. Jasmine stood up, giving Ampharos one last pat on the head, and circled around the Flaaffy, nodding her head.

"It knows Signal Beam?"

"Yes."

"And what electrical moves?"

"Discharge. It knows Charge as well," Nila replied, folding her arms across her chest. When Jasmine wasn't looking she glared at Reid for volunteering her Pokémon. She did feel bad that Ampharos was sick but Flaaffy couldn't stay in the lighthouse forever! It was one of her most powerful Pokémon. She needed it for battling.

"So, Flaaffy could stay here with you," John continued on from Reid, warming up to the idea, "and we'll go to Cianwood in three days time to pick up the special medicine."

"Yeah," Reid said, bobbing his head up and down. "My eating contest is in two days so it's perfect timing." He looked over to Kaida and Nila. "Plus there is a gym in Cianwood so you would have to go there anyway…."

Kaida was fine with the plan and nodded her consent. Nila was a lot more reluctant. Eventually she groaned and muttered, "Fine."

"This would be an enormous help," Jasmine breathed gratefully, giving both of the boys a hug. "Thank you so much."

She hugged Kaida too but Nila shifted out of the way just in time. She was loaning the woman her Flaaffy but that didn't mean she wanted a display of affection. She patted Flaaffy absently as they discussed the further logistics of the plan. Jasmine said she could get them some special tickets that would get them there and back from Cianwood since her uncle worked in with the shipping company.

"I could even get you full passes," she added, "so you can go back and forth for the whole season."

They arranged to meet her uncle to collect the tickets and Jasmine expressed her gratitude with a peck on the forehead for both of the boys and Kaida. Nila once again avoided the gestured by hugging her Flaaffy goodbye.

"You better learn a lot from Jasmine," she whispered. "We'll have to battle her later."

Flaaffy nodded in determination.

When they were out of earshot and eyeshot, as they stumbled back down the stairs, Nila gave Reid a hefty whack to the back of his head.

"Ow!" Reid protested. "What was that for?!"

Nila glared fiercely. "Like you don't know," she muttered. "You only offered that because you have a crush on her."

"That's not true at all," Reid protested. "I was being nice."

Nila narrowed her eyes even further.

"OK, fine, she is _quite _attractive. Ow! Stop it!" He dodged another shove. "I'm going to fall! I thought it was only Kaida who got violent!"

Kaida scowled. "I am not violent!"

Reid swore. Now he had two angry girls after him. He dashed off down the stairs, trying desperately not to fall down because that would probably result in a broken neck.

"John," he called. "Help me!"

"Uh, I'm fine, thanks," John said from above, remembering his own part in the planning. He didn't want to be killed as well.

"I'll buy you milk!" Reid yelled desperately to Nila. "Lots and lots of milk!"

Nila stopped the assault. "It better be a _lot _of milk."

"It will be," Reid said quickly. "I promise. Plus ice cream. I'll buy you vanilla ice cream. Your favourite."

Nila seemed satisfied with this arrangement and stopped chasing him. Kaida, on the other hand, was still not satisfied, and was smarting from being called violent, so continued the pursuit. Only Nila's hand on her bag, tugging her back, managed to stop her.

"Not violent?" Nila repeated, eyebrows raised. "Please."

"Only a little," Kaida mumbled sulkily. "Always justified."

Nila rolled her eyes. Yeah right.

They found Rina and Flo still gorging into ice cream at the cheerfully coloured ice cream parlour. Rina mostly focused on eating the cookies out of her ice cream and then sulked when she found they were all gone. Flo used some of her Aunt's money to top their bowls up and even ordered a round of ice cream for the rest of them when they returned from the lighthouse. An extra bowl, courtesy of Reid, was brought out for Nila, who was also feasting on mint choc chip, much to Kaida's disgust.

"Stop being such a freak," Nila said.

"Why's she a freak?" Reid asked.

"She hates mint."

They all looked at Kaida rather oddly. What was so offensive about the taste of mint.

"How do you brush your teeth?" John inquired.

"Unhappily," Kaida said. "You spit that out anyway."

They all stared at her, still finding her dislike rather bizarre.

"You oddball," Nila said, tucking into more mint ice cream.

"Coming from you!" Kaida said, swivelling on her stool, almost dislodging Cyndaquil from her lap. "You hate everything! You hate fruit!"

"I like vegetables," Nila said, sulkily stirring her ice cream to mush. "And grapes."

"You run in fear of big potatoes," Kaida added. "I think _you _are the oddball here."

Everyone nodded in assent.

"Still," Nila said, a minute later. "Lots of people hate different types of fruit… What's so bad about _mint_?"

"You're _both _oddballs," Reid said, scraping out the bottom of his bowl. "Food is food. It's all good. Except snails." He looked vaguely sick. "Yeah, I had them once. Not good."

Flo tried to imagine eating a snail and almost gagged. Eew. Rina was happily in manga land, her nose in her newest copy, and so wasn't listening and was unaffected by Reid's revelation. Everyone else merely cringed.

"I'd try it," John said fairly.

"Don't," Reid said flatly. "It's me. I love food. But I hate it."

"Good point," John reflected. "OK. On second thought, I wouldn't try it."

"Good boy," Reid said, starting on Rina's disregarded ice cream that was now completely devoid of cookies. After taking a few generous spoonfuls he finally remembered to say to her, "Oh, you don't mind, do you?"

"No," Rina said, not looking up from her manga. Then she went into deep thought and, pensively, said, "I wonder if they make–"

"No!" Reid said quickly. "For the love of all food… They do not make cheese flavoured ice cream!"

"How did you–" Rina began.

Reid fixed her with a look. "It's _you_."

He had summed up his argument very succinctly. He went back to the ice cream, shuddering at the thought of someone grating cheese over it. Rina should be banned from eating food completely. Well, that would mean her death, so maybe she should just be banned from inventing food. Cheese cookies. Cheese ice cream. Now he felt sick…

He still finished the ice cream though. Nothing, not even Rina's appalling thoughts ideas, could put him off good food.

After they had finished the ice cream they left the hustle and bustle (if it could be described as that because, compared to the crowds of Goldenrod, it was nothing) of the main port and out to the beaches to the west of the small city. Before they reached the beaches – an even spread of pebbles and sand – they found many people fishing along the docks.

"Is fishing allowed for everyone?" John asked.

"Sure," another fisherman said, leering quite obviously. "Just whip it out." He winked at John. "I'm still waiting for the catch of the day."

John's eyes widened quite comically and he retreated swiftly, moving quite a way away from that particular fisherman before he set up his equipment. The girls soon became bored but Reid wanted to have a quick go. Almost as soon as he sat down in John's fold out chair, the line tugged. He and John seized the fishing rod and both pulled. The force of this meant a Corsola came flying out of the sea onto the cobbled street that ran next to the sea front.

"Cool," Reid said, as the Pokémon jumped up and looked around, completely bewildered. It quickly relaxed, looking around more slowly. Reid turned to John as it had been his fishing rod. "Can I have it?"

"Yeah, sure," John said magnanimously, waving a hand. "Go ahead."

Reid sent out Sudowoodo, who flailed around happily for a few minutes before obeying any commands, and used Rock Slide. The rocks struck the Corsola but didn't seem to have much effect. It blinked slowly.

"Eh," Reid said, throwing a Pokéball. The ball hit the Corsola and engulfed it. A few flashes later and the Corsola was his.

They all blinked.

"That was easy," Kaida said slowly.

"I don't think the Corsola gave two–" Nila began. She cut off. "Hey, is that…?"

Kaida looked in the same direction Nila was and frowned, confused, when she saw nothing. Then she caught sight of a dark haired boy, with two hulking men trailing him, stepping across the street. Kaida immediately dashed off in pursuit. It was Morven! Unfortunately, when she got to where Morven had been there was no sign of him. She huffed. They were getting closer. Hirune had said he lived in Olivine and she had seen him. She had to go to Cianwood to get the medicine, and challenge Chuck of course, but when she came back the hunt for that Cyndaquil thief was _on_.


	35. Chapter 35: trouble on deck

**35. Trouble on deck**

Reid's Corsola had to be one of the most laidback Pokémon _ever_. It hardly budged as Totodile used a powerful Water Gun attack and simply glowed and used Recover in return. Reid was a little disappointed at first but then Corsola finally got bored of the Water Gun attacks and shot a Bubblebeam right back. This bowled Totodile off its feet, even if it rolled and easily righted itself, and left Reid rather impressed. Recover, Refresh, Bubblebeam. It wasn't a half shabby Pokémon at all.

Since Rina and Flo did not have tickets – as they did not go up the lighthouse to speak to Jasmine – they weren't going to Cianwood City with them. The ship that Jasmine had put them on was relatively luxurious and expensive and they could not afford it. Flo did not want to travel on one of the cheaper boats so, instead, they would stay with Flo's Aunt – and Flo would try to keep Rina from destroying anything expensive – until the others returned.

"We can visit Flaaffy for you," Rina chirped to Nila.

"Is this supposed to make me feel happy?" Nila asked. "You tried to shear it back in Azalea Town!"

"I wouldn't do that again," Rina said with a giggle. "It's half bald anyway now."

Nila narrowed her eyes and grabbed Flo by the collar before she left.

"Do not let her go anywhere near my Pokémon," she ordered.

Flo nodded furiously and breathed a sigh of relief when Nila let go.

They boarded the ship and Flo and Rina waved them off. Flo continued to wave for a few more minutes and then turned back to Rina only to find her gone. Flo's eyes widened. Where had she disappeared to? This was Rina. Who knew what sort of trouble she could get into? Flo had to find her.

"Did you see where she went, Togepi?" she asked the Pokémon in her arms.

Togepi waved its arms in several directions. No, that wasn't much help at all. She released her Wooper. Out of all her Pokémon it was definitely the most useful and she hoped it could help her find the errant Rina.

"Come on," she urged. "We have to find Rina."

Wooper padded along the harbour, its long ears twitching periodically. Flo had to keep reminding Wooper of the task in hand because it kept running off to chase stray litter or, even worse, it liked to poke its head into people's bags. Flo had been forced to run away from an angry man who had accused her and her Pokémon of being pickpockets.

Finally Wooper seemed to pick up a trail and scurried through several people milling by the docks up the gentle slopes of Olivine's streets. It eventually stopped and jumped several times on the spot. Flo looked up to see Rina. She hurried closer. Rina was talking to an older boy with dark hair. He did not look pleased to see her.

"You," he was saying sharply. "Stay back _away_ from me."

"But, Noodles," Rina said, taking another step forward.

The boy put his hands up to ward her away like a demon.

"My name is _not _Noodles!"

"We all call you Noodles!" Rina insisted. "So do my Slowpoke. Have you missed them?"

"No!" the boy half-shouted. "Get away from me!"

He stormed off, passing by Flo on the way towards the ships. Rina tried to follow but one of the two burly men tailing the boy pushed her back. Flo rushed to her side just as the large, muscled man left, following the boy towards the main harbour.

"What was that about?" she asked, confused.

"Ah, that's Noodles," Rina said, her head bopping up and down. "He's a bit skittish."

"Right," Flo said slowly, deciding perhaps it would be better for her sanity if she didn't enquire further. Instead she asked, "You want to get more ice cream?!"

"Cookies!" Rina squealed.

And that was the end of that.

-

Meanwhile, on the ship, Kaida was doubled over the toilet in the bathroom that she and Nila were sharing. The motion of the waves rocked even the large ship and swirled the contents of her stomach horrendously. Ugh. Water.

"Still feeling sea sick?" Nila said, poking her head in. Her Eevee padded along beside her. Doubtless the rest of her Pokémon were off playing with Reid and John, just like Kaida's, except for her loyal Cyndaquil who had stayed behind, peering up worriedly at its trainer.

Kaida glared at her so-called friend. "What do you think?" she demanded. Then, piteously, with both hands holding her stomach, she added, "I thought I might be OK on a big ship… You can feel it less."

She had to stop talking then because they hit a particularly hard wave and the urge to hurl came stronger than ever. She stuck her head over the toilet again but fortunately wasn't sick. She heard Nila sighing as she flopped on the bed in the next room.

"You know," Kaida managed to gasp, her hand over her mouth. "You don't _have _to wait in here with me?"

"I don't," Nila said, standing up and coming back to the bathroom door again.

"No," Kaida snapped. She would prefer Nila gone than being an annoyance in the next room with her infernal huffs and sighs of boredom. And, yes, Kaida was overly irritated, but she could hardly be blamed. This had to be the worst she had felt in her entire life. The sea was _horrible_. Bleugh.

"I thought it was some kind of social etiquette," Nila said dryly. "Clearly these things are beyond me."

Kaida did not appreciate stabs at humour. Her glare intensified. Nila put both hands in the air defensively.

"OK," she said. "I'm gone. Your key is on your bed. Give John a call if you want to find us."

Nila never answered her phone despite the fact that it was always on her. It was quite irksome. Reid didn't tend to answers his either because he always forgot to charge it up. John was the steady reliable one _again_. Kaida's was always ready to go because, although she didn't like to admit it, there was always the small chance that someone important (read: Matt) might want to get hold of her.

Nila left and Kaida patted Cyndaquil. Always loyal. So cute. Then, ugh, another wave, and Kaida's head was back down the toilet again.

Outside Nila breathed a sigh of relief. The water was not Kaida's friend. How she had managed to cling onto Lapras, and even gain one of the winning places, in the contest way back when they were travelling to Goldenrod was quite beyond Nila. Any kind of motion over water unsettled Kaida's stomach, even in something ridiculous like a kayak. Kaida _could _swim but it wasn't exactly her favourite pursuit.

She found Reid and John playing table tennis. They both were pretty dismal but Nila wasn't much better. She contented herself by drinking milkshake and watching her Houndour speed along after Kaida's Growlithe. It caught it fairly easily but that was no comment on Growlithe's speed: Houndour was extremely fast and never seemed to stop moving around. Chikorita took place on the other side of Nila and fired an occasional Razor Leaf. Nila decided she would have to try and get Chikorita to learn Magical Leaf: it was supposed to be extremely accurate.

Miltank was still refusing to move. John was trying to entice it by not feeding it but this didn't seem to be doing much. It seemed to have so much fat that it didn't need to eat and John was still providing it with a little sustenance each day – he didn't want it to starve only slim down – and that appeared to be enough. It puzzled him. Miltank had been willing to move to get revenge for fat comments _before_ it had been caught. Why not now?

Nila was deep in thought – and nearing the bottom of her milkshake – when they heard a startled scream outside. John threw down his racket ("Yes," Reid cheered. "I win!") and raced outside to see what the commotion was. Nila and Reid followed at a more reasonably pace. They emerged out on deck to see a terrified, shivering woman clinging onto one of the smartly dressed sailors.

"It…" she stuttered. "It came out of nowhere."

She touched her previously expensive looking cardigan – which was now dirtied – and shrieked again.

"It's ruined!" she cried, before bursting into sobs.

"It's all right, ma'am," the sailor said, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Take deep breaths and tell us what it was."

"I…" Her voice shook. "I… It…" She shook her head, too distraught.

The sailor put an arm around her shoulders. "I'll take you to get a nice cup of tea and calm down, eh?"

She nodded shakily and he led her away.

"What was _that _about?" John asked, bewildered.

"Dunno," Reid replied. "So, I won that round. Best out of three?"

John shook his head. "We have to find out what is going on!"

Reid scrunched his forehead up. "We do?"

John nodded enthusiastically. "There is a puzzle to solve and I'm going to do it. Come on."

Reid and Nila exchanged resigned looks and plodded after him.

John insisted they look around the immediate area for any signs of what had caused the woman to scream. They found some stray bits of little, some dirty floor, and an apple core, before a cleaner came around the corner on his rounds and swept it all up. John still continued to snoop around, despite the odd glances he was getting from passersby, until they heard another loud shriek.

John sped off immediately and Reid and Nila chased after him. Totodile was up ahead with John as Yanma clung to John's shoulder and Nila's four remaining Pokémon trailed just behind her at first. Houndour quickly over took them all even though it didn't know where it was going, scrabbling about excitedly.

The person who had screamed was a girl around their age who was now shivering, completely distraught, and covered in a strange grunge. John tried to get closer but the girl's father cut across him and tucked the girl under his arm. Then he pulled back and examined his posh suit with some horror.

"Urgh, what is this stuff?!" he demanded.

But he bustled off with his daughter before the girl could explain and the mystery could be solved.

John stroked his chin as he thought. "This is very interesting…"

"They clearly know what's going on," Reid said, bored. "Can we leave now?"

Nila, however, had put the pieces together. It wasn't surprising that she came to the conclusion first because she lived in fear of the culprit and had had to safeguard herself from its attacks on many occasions.

"If it comes near me," she told her Houndour, "then you barbeque it."

Houndour jumped up and down enthusiastically just as a loud, now masculine, shout came from around the corner. They skidded around the deck just in time to see the culprit – as Nila had suspected – clinging onto a sailor with a previously immaculate uniform. It was Grimer.

"Of course," said John, amazed he hadn't thought of this. Well he had assumed that Grimer was with Flo but obviously she couldn't be trusted to look after her own Pokémon. He'd remember that in future.

The sailor was still yelling as Grimer engulfed him with a giant grin. Ah, hugs. It was what Grimer lived for. The happy squeals of the people it shared affection with always brightened up its day. The day was made even brighter when it noticed Nila. It dropped the sailor in an instant – leaving him gasping for breath from the quite putrid odour and cursing at his ruined clothes – and headed for Nila, spreading gooey arms wide as its smile widened and its eyes formed happy crescents.

"Houndour, now!" Nila said, almost tripping over her feet in her haste to escape.

A powerful flamethrower shot from Houndour's mouth, striking the Grimer head on. Grimer continued to move for a few more feet whilst Houndour continued the attack but eventually it was too much and it fell forwards, still wearing the enormous smile, but definitely unconscious. John moved over to Grimer and inspected the damage. It looked like it would be fine.

"Excuse me, sir," the sailor said to John. He was covered in muck and looked furious. "Is this your Pokémon?"

"Um, no, not really," John said, wondering how to explain.

"Did you bring it on board?"

"No," John said. "But…"

"Do you know the trainer who did?" the sailor persisted.

"Well, no one brought it on, but…"

John was once again interrupted.

"So it is a stowaway," the sailor said.

"Well, sort of. I know who it does belong to but she isn't here. It must have sneaked onto the ship," John said, finally able to finish talking.

The sailor blustered. He didn't seem to know what to do now. They couldn't just throw it overboard, could they? He'd really have to speak to the captain.

"How about I get her to transport over her Pokéball and I'll keep it in there," John suggested, patting the sailor on the shoulder kindly, carefully avoiding the slime as he did. He glanced back at Nila and Reid. "Can you two look after Grimer until I get back… Hey… Wait. Where's Nila?"

Reid shrugged. She'd been off in a shot, probably predicting these turn of events. She would now be as far away from Grimer on the ship as she possibly could be.

"Eh," John said. "Just you then, Reid."

John walked off and Reid gave an aggravated sigh. Great. Just great. Grimer was now stirring and what Pokémon did he have that could defend him? Snorlax. No. Sudowoodo would probably join in. Corsola would just sit there.

"Nice, Grimer," Reid said tentatively. "Stay down there. Good Grimer."

"Grime?" Grimer said blearily, looking around in confusion.

Unfortunately its target, Nila, was long gone. It focused on the other boy standing before it. It was the shorter of the pair. Grimer opened its arms wide and the boy stumbled backwards, clearly very excited about the hug. This just made Grimer even happier as it wrapped itself around Reid, eager to show its affection.

"Grime," it said, perfectly content.

Underneath the pile of slime, a very small, muffled voice cried for help.

-

Kaida's stomach had somewhat acclimatised to the sea, although she still had to be near a bin or bucket in case she felt her stomach lurch and the bile rising. This meant she could come out of the room she was sharing with Nila and go down to the trainer lounges. The luxury cruiser had not skimped out either and there were plenty of ways to train Pokémon including a swimming pool, an assault course, and other specialised training items.

Nila worked on Houndour's extreme levels of speed – while encouraging Eevee to join in – as John set up some target practise for Totodile and Water Gun. At the same time John was gently coaxing the baby Yanma to grow and gain confidence and try a few of its moves on a Hoothoot, who was under strict instruction to go easy on it. Yanma was timid but John was certain that he could boost its confidence and help it become a powerful Pokémon.

Reid, sat by a snoozing Snorlax, was extremely enthused about training Sudowoodo and Corsola because of a complete lack of anything he could do with Snorlax. Snorlax was completely unmotivated, refusing to budge or wake up unless food was involved, and there seemed to be nothing that Reid could do about it. Corsola, however laid back it was, would at least fire off a few moves, although it didn't seem inclined to dodge many hits. Luckily its defence was formidable and it new restoring moves like Recover and Refresh. Sudowoodo was as jolly and energetic as it ever was (while not around the despised Rina) and leapt around Corsola quite happily.

Kaida sulked. Their training sessions were all going well while she was struggling. Despite using the Fire Stone on her Eevee in the hope that it would become more powerful, Flareon had yet to produce a fire move, despite the weeks it had been since she had evolved it. It was more powerful than before, with more weight behind its Quick Attack and Bite moves, but every time it opened its mouth it was only to produce Yawn instead of the Flamethrower – even the Ember – that Kaida had been hoping for. Time and time again she had shown Flareon fire moves with Cyndaquil and Growlithe but it seemed to have no effect at all, which was extremely upsetting. Her mother was an expert move tutor and, as her daughter, it was disappointing to not be able to get a fire Pokémon to learn even a simple fire move.

"Growlithe just used Fire Fang," she tried. "Why don't you have a go?"

She was hoping Bite could develop a fiery element but, so far, she had no luck. She sighed and slumped onto the floor. Cyndaquil jumped on her lap and nudged her, concerned. She stroked its head while she watched Houndour run around in circles around Flareon. What was she doing wrong?

"Come on," John urged Yanma. It seemed to have the ability of Compoundeyes and so its attacks were normally extremely accurate. He watched as Yanma used Sonic Boom to send Hoothoot reeling. "See," he continued. "You've got much stronger already."

Yanma preened happily at his compliments. This meant it was caught off guard when Hoothoot dived back to use Peck. Yanma let out a small squeak of alarm and hid behind John. Hoothoot pulled back just in time, looking a little smug.

In the swimming pool there was quite a commotion and water sloshed quite liberally over the side, drawing annoyed cries from people and Pokémon. They went forwards to investigate and found the cause of the ruckus. A desperate boy was trying to appease a Seel, who was ramming its head into the side of the pool in a powerful Headbutt attack.

"Please, please, stop it," the boy begged.

Seel ignored him.

"You're causing a scene!" the boy whispered in dismay. "Come on, behave."

Kaida's eyebrows rose. "That is one irritated Seel."

The boy looked like he was about to cry in frustration and he was getting angry jeers from a crowd gathered around him. Seel continued to bang its head against the side of the pool. Finally, Nila grew tired and marched towards the offending Pokémon.

"You," she said in her sternest voice. "Stop this right now."

Seel looked at her and then banged its head against the wall.

Nila raised one eyebrow in return.

"You want to try that with me?" she asked.

Seel sank back into the water and shook his head. The boy gaped at Nila.

"How did you do that?" he gushed, watching his Seel slink back into the depths of the pool.

"Sometimes you have to be kind and respectful towards Pokémon," Nila told him. Her face darkened. "And sometimes they are impossible brats who need to be brought down a peg or two. Just like people."

The boy stopped gushing and started to look a little intimidated. Kaida didn't blame him. Nila could be quite scary.

"How long have you had your Seel for?" John queried. He asked because it _had_ to be a new Pokémon to be so disobedient.

"My sister gave it to me a few weeks ago," the boy said miserably. "She had it for half a year before that. It used to obey _her_. They even won some gym matches."

"Well what have you done to annoy it so much?" Reid asked, looking at the Seel, who was swimming around slowly at the bottom of the pool.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I just wanted it to practise the dance routine."

They all stared at him, appalled.

"You are teaching Seel how to _dance_?" Nila said, unable to hold back a derisive snort.

"I'm a Pokémon Coordinator," the boy explained. "That's what I do."

"Look," Nila said. "Whatever your name is…"

"Winton," the boy chimed in.

"Yeah, whatever," Nila said dismissively. "Have you ever considered that your Seel doesn't want to dance?"

Winton looked at her as if what she had said was sacrilegious. Clearly the idea had never crossed his mind. Who _wouldn't _want to dance?

John nodded in agreement. "Some Pokémon like contests and some Pokémon like battles. Maybe Seel just prefers battling."

"But, I don't like battling," Winton said uselessly. "I want to enter contests."

"Then clearly you have the wrong Pokémon," Nila said. She checked her watch. "Come on. I bet the café has great milkshakes."

"But…" Winton whimpered, looking at the bottom of the pool.

"Stop trying to make Seel do stuff it doesn't want to," John lectured.

They left Winton and his Seel behind and collected all their Pokémon.

"If I were a Pokémon and he tried to make _me_ dance, I'd smash my head into a wall too," Reid commented. Then his mind turned to more important things: what he was going to have for lunch.

But when they reached the door there was a horrible lurch and they were all thrown to the ground from the jolting of the ship. Cyndaquil fell from Kaida's shoulder with a squeal and Kaida's pain was increased when, after landing face first on the floor, John landed on her back. To add insult to the injury, her stomach turned unpleasantly and the sea sickness was back in full force. She gagged.

"Don't be sick now," Nila said, disgusted.

Kaida glared at her. It wasn't as if she could help it! Did Nila think that Kaida _liked_ being sea sick?! Unfortunately, the sickness made it impossible for her to yell at Nila about this so she had to settle for giving her friend a death glare.

Cyndaquil tried to push John off Kaida's back and the tall boy stood up with Nila and Reid while Kaida remained, piteously, on the floor. There was another jarring jolt and John, Reid, and Nila stumbled again. Reid managed to stay upright but the other two fell to their knees.

"What's going on?" John asked, looking to the window. "The weather looks fine! Have we hit something?"

Most people were leaving the training room in a hurry to find out what was going on. Winton dashed over, looking completely lost. The ship shook once more and he went sprawling, kneeing Kaida in the back. Kaida yelped with pain and her stomach lurched again. Why did she always get squished? Was it the curse of small people?!

"In here!"

The voice sounded from outside the training room and, seconds later, three men in black uniform entered, followed by a woman in an indecently short skirt. Emblazoned on all of their chests was a white letter R. Team Rocket.

"What are you doing here?" John demanded.

"A rich luxury liner stuffed with powerful Pokémon," the blue haired woman scoffed, now pushing to the front. "Seize their Pokémon!"

One of the men grabbed Cyndaquil, which was a huge mistake as it lit up its back and the man dropped it in shock. The other two men brought out nets and one of them scooped up Chikorita. Chikorita aimed a Razor Leaf at the net but it failed to cut through. Nila's eyes narrowed and, forgoing Pokémon, she crashed into the man's waist and, when his superior size and weight steadied him, she bit his hand, forcing him to drop the net. Chikorita jumped free and began to assist its trainer with a Tackle attack.

"Go, Sudowoodo!" Reid cried, sending out his best Pokémon.

To counter this, the blue haired Rocket woman sent out a Cloyster that immediately fired a Water Gun attack. Sudowoodo leapt out of the way in the nick of time and the Water Gun hit the training floor uselessly. Sudowoodo then retaliated with Mimic and a Water Gun attack of its own. Unfortunately Cloyster used Withdraw to protect itself and the Water Gun bounced almost harmlessly off the Cloyster, who already had a fair bit of immunity against water moves.

At the same time, while Kaida was groaning on the floor while her Cyndaquil sat on her head and protected her, John had started a battle with the tallest male using his Hoothoot and Yanma against the man's Golbat and Spearow, with Yanma successfully using Double Team to avoid hits.

Winton, on the other hand, was not doing as well, backing towards the pool while the remaining Rocket advanced on him. It didn't seem like he had a clue what to do as he attempted to cover the Pokéballs on his belt with a protective hand. This was useless and the Rocket simply batted his hands away. Noting this from her own struggle with a Rocket – he had her in a headlock but Chikorita was bashing his Pokémon into the ground – Nila yelled out.

"Seel!" she called. "Come up!"

As the Rocket prepared to take Winton's Pokéballs, Seel broke through the water behind him to look for the source of the voice.

"Seel!" Nila said, trying to think what moves the Pokémon would know as she continued to grapple with the man who had tried to steal Chikorita. "Use Aurora Beam on that Rocket!"

Seel rose up further and shot the multicoloured ice attack at the Rocket. He was forced to dodge backwards and tripped over his own feet, landing hard on the floor.

Nila managed to free herself with a foot to the groin of the man who was holding her. With a grunt of pain, he released her, and she swung round to deliver another blow just as Chikorita knocked out his Parasect.

"Seel," she called. "Use another Aurora Beam!"

As Seel sent another ice attack at the Rockets, men dressed in the security guard uniform of the ship burst into the room with their Pokémon.

"Are you all right in here?" they asked, rather redundantly.

"Retreat!" the blue haired Rocket cried.

The security guards managed to grab the Rocket that Nila had incapacitated but the other three dashed away through another entrance to the training gym. The other guards set off in pursuit.

"Team Rocket have to be the worst criminals ever," Reid said, laughing at their failure.

But one of the security guards shook his head and said, "This was a large coordinated attack and some of the clients had Pokémon successfully stolen. We're following the Rockets but they are good at quick escapes."

Feeling a little chastised, Reid turned to Sudowoodo to congratulate it for its skilful fighting.

Winton looked at Nila with some awe as she went over to pat Seel on the head after giving Chikorita a nod of praise.

"Seel listens to you," he said in a reverent tone.

"It likes to battle," Nila said, inching away from the wide eyed boy. His expression was really rather disturbing. "It would obey anyone who let it."

"You should have it!" Winton said in a rush.

Nila blinked.

"You'd be a much better trainer than me," he said. "Seel doesn't want to dance! All I do is dance."

Nila glanced over at Kaida for assistance. Kaida was still moaning on the floor, clutching her stomach, so she looked at John instead. The tall boy shrugged his shoulders.

"Won't your sister be a bit cross?" she asked. "She gave this Pokémon to you."

"Only because she got traded a Sealeo from Hoenn and preferred that," Winton informed her. "Please, take it."

He pressed Seel's Pokéball into her hand. Nila tried to push it back but, at Seel's strange pleading cry, she finally accepted. The poor Pokémon. She almost had a duty to save it from scary dance routines. She'd look after it now and make sure it got some good battling. She'd have to keep it away from Flo though… No doubt Seel would be wary (even more than usual) of that girl's bizarre ways after its traumatising dancing experience with Winton.

"Eh, fine," she said.

Winton smiled. "Yeah, it will be fine with my sister." He paused. "I hope." Now it looked like he was having a few doubts.

"You can't take it back now," Nila said, looking to the poor Seel, who looked distraught at the very thought.

"I'm not taking it back," Winton assured her, although he didn't sound very certain. "I should go. Thanks for saving me. You too, Seel."

He looked like he might go and pat Seel like Nila but, when he approached, Seel slipped back into the water to hide from him. Winton withdrew his hand, seemingly embarrassed, and made a hasty exit.

Reid laughed as he joined Nila at the water edge. "It looks like a clown!"

Seel's eyes narrowed. It rose up again and gleaming, rainbow ice shot towards Reid, who yelped and ducked.

"It's crazy!" he cried.

Satisfied that Reid had been sufficiently scared from calling it a clown, Seel dove back to the bottom of the pool. Clown indeed. Winton had been just as derogatory about its looks and it wasn't going to put up with it anymore: it was powerful and strong. It wasn't like a clown at all! They'd see! It was majestic and beautiful and far too good for dancing…

When Seel was safely returned to its Pokéball, Reid felt safe to joke about its looks again.

"You have to admit it looks like a clown," he said to Nila.

Nila shrugged. It did a bit but she wasn't going to say that aloud. She liked not being frozen solid and preferred to stay that way.

"I need to wash my mouth out," she said, screwing her face up in disgust as she thought back to biting the Rocket. "Who knows what that Rocket had been doing? Gross…"

"Masturbating," Reid chipped in.

Nila glared at him. "Die," she replied flatly. She pulled another disgusted face. "Fetch the mouthwash. Then I need milk to clear the horrible taste of _that_ out… Come on. Let's go."

They left for Nila's room – to get her bottle of mouthwash – and then the café to get some milk and, for the boys, some food to appease their rumbling stomachs.

Back in the training room, Kaida's stomach had finally settled and she felt safe to look up. However, she found herself staring at an empty room. Reid, John, and Nila had not been able to resist the cries of their hungry stomachs and were long gone.

"Guys?" Kaida said weakly.

Cyndaquil nosed her face and Kaida realised what had happened. A dark scowl set across her features. She clambered to her feet, after patting her concerned Pokémon, and muttered, "Traitors…."

-

Nila's Eevee watched quite calmly as Houndour skidded around the deckchairs, chasing after an excitably Totodile, who jumped nimbly over a table filled with bowls of fingers foods. Houndour ran underneath, hitting one of the legs as it slipped on the wet deck, and Reid had to lunge to steady the table.

"Nila," he complained. "Control your Pokémon! It almost knocked the food on the floor."

Nila ignored him and sipped more of her milkshake. On one side she had Eevee, content to watch the display, and on the other was Chikorita, who huffed in annoyance when Totodile came too close and sent a mild Razor Leaf attack in its direction.

"Nila!" Reid said again, more sharply, when Houndour, in its haste, almost crashed into a woman bringing them more chocolate snacks.

Nila rolled her dark eyes. "Like you can talk," she said, gesturing to Sudowoodo.

They had invited Winton to join them – he had given Nila a Pokémon after all – and he was currently trying to teach Sudowoodo a few dance moves. Sudowoodo flailed energetically next to him, knocking over a nearby parasol. It wobbled back and forth on its stand for a few seconds before crashing over.

"Yeah," Reid said, "but he's not endangering the _food_."

"How are you not a five tonne lump?" John wondered aloud.

"I exercise," Reid said, grabbing another generous handful of snacks.

John nodded. "Good point. But still. You're tiny."

Reid gave him a mild glare for this. He didn't like being reminded of his short stature.

"Only compared to you," he told John. "You're a gigantosaur freak."

"That's not even a word!"

Reid shrugged in indifference and eagerly accepted the chocolate snacks – mercifully unspoiled no thanks to Houndour – from the woman. He scoffed about five down in an instant. Sandslash hurried to join him. It also had a huge appetite and it tended to burn off this by performing dangerous stunts. Only a few hours previously Nila had been forced to rescue Sandslash because it had decided it was a good idea to climb up one of the masts. Heights were not a friend to a ground type Pokémon.

Houndour caught Totodile again but was quick to release it and continue the pursuit.

"They're both very, er, exuberant," Winton said, struggling to remain polite.

Totodile crashed into a woman's deckchair and Houndour, unable to stop, smashed behind it, completely unending the chair. The woman shrieked in horror as she fell off and her skirt flew up, revealing spotty underwear and what appeared to be a bulge… Not a woman after all then! The man-woman started to rant furiously but Totodile merely cackled and ran off again. Houndour launched itself after it.

"Oh my," Winton said, flushing.

Nila shot him an irritated look. "You're such a priss." She then went back to her milkshake.

"And as for exuberant," Reid said. "Better that than my Pokémon."

He jerked his head towards Snorlax, who sitting by the rails at the side of the boat and shovelling food in its mouth as fast as it could manage it.

"You think you have problems?" John said, gesturing to Miltank. "At least yours gets up for food. My Miltank won't move at all!"

It was true. Miltank had yet to move. It looked around blankly for a moment at the sound of its name but then closed its eyes and returned to sleep.

"I just can't understand," John said, scratching its head. "It was extremely bad-tempered before. It stomped over everyone! Now I can call it fat and hideous and it won't move an inch!"

Winton looked around, a little disturbed at the antics of their Pokémon. He was seriously rethinking his choice of giving Seel to Nila. She was completely ignoring the misbehaviour of her Pokémon. When a man had bumped into Chikorita she had let it use Tackle attack in revenge without batting an eyelid. This was troubling…

"Where's Kaida?" Winton asked.

"Sick," they all chorused.

"Ah, poor her," Winton said unknowingly.

"Poor us as well," Nila said. "She said she's going to castrate the boys and poison my milk when she gets better It's revenge for leaving her while she was sick." Nila thought back to Kaida's spew of insults when they had returned from the café after the Rocket attack. Kaida had crawled back to their room and had not looked impressed. "As if I had a choice… I needed to clean out my mouth!"

Houndour sped by again and Reid stood up as Houndour shook the table as it passed it. This was a very fortunate – or unfortunate – move as, a second later, Houndour barrelled into someone and knocked her legs out from beneath her. Reid reached forwards and managed to catch the girl before she fell to the floor. It was an instinctual move and he came face to face with a wide eyed girl with blonde bunches, who was staring at him like he was the reincarnation of Arceus.

"You saved Lisa's life!" the girl squealed as he set her back on her feet.

"Uh," Reid said, uncomfortably, looking down at where the girl was clinging to his hands. "I wouldn't go that far."

"How can Lisa Lisa _ever_ repay you?" the girl demanded. Her eyes welled with tears. "Who knows what could have happened if you weren't there?! You are my knight in shining armour, my chiselled champion, my daring rescuer…"

"Um."

Reid's face was reminiscent of a Stantler in the headlights of oncoming traffic.

"May I know the name of the beautiful angel who saved me?" the girl said, batting her long eyelashes dramatically.

Reid was too stunned to talk.

"Ah, the strong and silent type," the girl swooned. "I'm Lisa!"

Behind them, Winton had a vaguely constipated look on his face as he surveyed the couple. John and Nila had identical expressions: wide eyed, eyebrows raised, and mouths gaping open. As one, they turned to look at each other.

"Is she speaking in third person?" John muttered.

"Chiselled champion," Nila repeated, dumfounded.

They exchanged another bewildered look and then, un unison, burst into laughter. Nila fell off her deckchair onto the floor, dislodging Eevee, who jumped nimbly free, and John collapsed onto his knees. Reid looked at the hysterical pair, presumably for help, but they were little use. It didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon.

"Kaida is going to kick herself for missing this," Nila managed to gasp.

John wiped some stray tears from his eyes.

"I'm Reid," Reid said finally.

"Reid," Lisa gushed. "A name worthy of heroes. Reid," she said, testing the name on her tongue. "That name will go down forever in history alongside the legendary Pokémon and regional champions… Nay, above them even!" She gave a lovesick sigh. "And Lisa Lisa has the honour of meeting such a mighty man!"

"Um," Reid said again.

John and Nila leant on each other for support. Both were still laughing. Above them, Winton still looked confounded.

"Perhaps, as a reward for you," Lisa continued, "or as one for me… A kiss?"

"What?!" Reid yelped, now looking fearful. He tried to tug his hands away but she had a pincer grip as she closed her large eyes and leaned forwards, oblivious to his struggles, seeking out his lips. When he dodged his head out of the way, she let go of his hands and seized his head instead, holding it still as she claimed her prize.

"Mmfhh!" Reid protested.

Lisa finally pulled back and gave a loving sigh. This was halted when she suddenly frowned.

"You are quite short," she said, biting her lip.

It was true. Lisa, although a similar age to Reid, was tall and well-developed, a stark contrast to Reid's short, slim stature.

"Hey, I'm only twelve!" Reid protested, temporarily distracted. "I'll have a growth spurt!"

"Ah," Lisa said, appeased. "Of course you will. You'll be tall and dashing with hands that can wrap round my waist…"

"I will?"

"My love," she said, oblivious to his alarm. "My swashbuckling pioneer of romance…"

"Eh?" Reid said, terrified.

"Lisa never thought she'd meet her soul mate but here you are," Lisa said, sighing dramatically. "Her life is now complete. All Lisa Lisa and Reid need are each other. They can be together forever."

"But…"

"Lisa can see it now," she interrupted. "Our wedding. Lisa Lisa in a radiant white gown and white doves are released as she steps towards the altar where you await…"

"Wedding?!" Reid squeaked.

"And the honeymoon," she said, batting her eyelashes some more. "You will be Lisa Lisa's gallant conqueror…"

Reid looked back at Nila and John, who were still laughing. "Help?" he croaked.

"It will be perfect," Lisa exalted.

"Um," Reid said, panicked. "Lovely. Look, I have to go."

He wrenched his hands from her grip and hurried away.

"But," Lisa said, stumbling after him. He was too quick, however, and she lost sight of him. Her bottom lip started to tremble. "What did Lisa do wrong?"

Nila, now on her feet, patted her on the shoulder while trying to keep a straight face. "Let's just say you came on a _little _bit strong," she said. "Tone it down a little."

"But…" Lisa's lip quivered some more.

Nila was about to burst out laughing again so she gave Lisa one final pat on the shoulder before she turned away, snickering into her hand. Lisa, forlorn and lovesick, swept off in search of Reid.

"People like her actually _exist_?" John said, bemused.

Nila shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is that Reid better run. Quickly." She snorted back more laughter. "Kaida is not going to _believe _this."


	36. Chapter 36: two idiots alone

**A/N: **

OK. Uni time is here so with all the crazy there may not be updates for a while. Chapter 45 & 46 are being worked in at the minute so we do have chapters in reserve but internet access may be an issue. We'll have to see.

Also, warnings for this chapter... There is a fair bit of reference to sex and some naughty words, but there is no sexual content (they are waaay underage) as this isn't an explicit type story. Mostly I warn for the crack humour. Lots and lots of it. And idiots. As the chapter title suggests...

And sorry for the annoying A/Ns. We try to only do them when we actually have something vaguely important to say but they are becoming more and more frequent!

Please read and review and all that shebag!

* * *

**36. The crazy tales of two idiots alone**

After the ship had left, and Rina had polished off as many cookies as she possibly eat without throwing them back up, Flo insisted that they go back up to the house as there was a horror film she wanted to watch in her aunts DVD collection. Rina had been a little resistant – she enjoyed playing on the beach – but, since Flo had promised her that they could spend all day there the next day, she was content enough and agreed without too much complaining. Upon reaching the house, they found that Marigold had gone to watch the muscle power champions in one of the dock holds. She stated, in a short note, that she wouldn't be back until late, much to Flo's joy: it meant she could watch the film in peace and hope that Rina would become immersed in her manga and ignore the hacking off limbs in the background. Purugly glared at the pair as they entered the kitchen for disturbing its nap; it growled and stalked off into the living room for a more peaceful spot.

"I would say let your Pokémon out and eat but I don't want anything broken," Flo told Rina, expecting her to get the hint to feed her Pokémon outside.

"Huh." Thought wrinkles appeared in Rina's brow.

"You and your Pokémon are menaces and break everything." Flo glared.

"No we don't!" Rina whined angrily. "You exaggerate everything. I'll show you just how good they can be!"

Rina tossed the balls from her belt quicker than Flo could grab her hands. Wally appeared on the marble kitchen counter, being its flatulent self. Flo swore that thing farted every time it was released from its Pokéball: it was probably scared that it would actually have to do something useful. Wonky landed on the edge of the kitchen table, and fell with a crash to the cold tiled floor in seconds, while Magikarp bounced onto one of the old kitchen cupboards, which was surrounded by china plates and teapots.

"Ahhh! No! Bad fishy!" Flo screamed as its bouncing rattled and wobbled the china.

She leapt over to the cupboard in a flash and pulled the Magikarp into her arms. It was disgustingly slimy and smelly but it was better than what her aunt would do to her upon finding a single broken plate.

"See nothing happened!" Rina said smugly.

With one swift movement Flo swung Magikarp by the tail and aimed for Rina. The smelly wet fish hit her square in the face, making Rina topple over onto the floor, looking like a wide eyed Jigglypuff, before bursting into tears.

_What do you know?_ Flo thought. _This thing this thing is useful_!

"You-just-_slapped_-me!" Rina wailed. "With-a-Magikarp!"

"Well done. You can recognise a fish slap when you see one." Flo rolled her eyes and went to go outside to put the Magikarp in the pond. It was now glaring menacingly at her, probably wishing for her death Flo thought. But at least, in the pond, it would clean off and hopefully lose the bad smell. Rina was horribly negligent!

"You're mean." Rina huffed. "I'm gonna tell Kaida." And with that she stormed out of the room.

"Kaida isn't going to be happy," Flo sang, summoning the Slowpoke to follow her. She knew that Kaida would probably be having a close relationship with the toilet and wouldn't want to be disturbed.

After feeding all the Pokémon outside, without a peep or sight of Rina, Flo headed back in with the Pokémon so she could get ready for her horror film. She found Rina's bag on the kitchen table, exactly where she left it, and recalled Rina's three Pokémon. She didn't want any smashes or disasters tonight: especially not in her aunt's house. As she was recalling her own Pokémon, Rina shuffled into the kitchen looking depressed.

"What's wrong with you" Flo asked, recalling a very excitable Wooper from the sink and turning her attention to Weepinbell as it nudged her leg, trying to get attention.

"I'm sorry," Rina recited in her childlike voice, "for whatever made you slap me with Magikarp and I am sorry for being a moron."

"I take it you phoned Kaida," Flo smirked, bemused by Rina's rehearsed speech which Kaida must have yelled at her to say. Rina nodded.

"You know, she wasn't too happy to hear from me, isn't that strange?" Rina pondered, genuinely confused as to why Kaida wouldn't want to hear her whining. "She told be to tell you one thing though, which makes no sense to me."

"What's that then?"

Everything confused Rina so Flo was interested to hear what would come out her mouth this time. Rina read the small note she had made on her hand slowly.

"She said: good job but next time do it harder."

Flo laughed, almost letting Togepi fall from her grip. Trust Kaida to give her tips on trying to kill people.

"What job is she on about?" Rina prodded Flo, who just continued laughing.

"Don't worry, Rina, don't worry your little purple head about it." Flo reached up and patted the confused girl's head. Rina really needed some socialising lessons, Flo thought. Not, of course, that she was offering. She shuddered at the thought of that and forced it from her mind. "Now, let's go watch a movie," Flo shouted joyfully, ignoring Rina's remaining expression of bewilderment.

A while later, after getting snacks and drinks from Marigold's overly packed fridge, Flo had settled down on the sofa to watch a highly rated horror film that she had found in her aunts collection. Rina had become bored of the film as soon as the opening had started, and so was hunched up with a cushion reading the end few pages of her manga. Flo shoved another handful of crisps into her mouth just as the girl on the tv screamed in pain, Flo was scared of many things but watching them on TV was a different story. A small scream from next to her distracted Flo from grabbing another handful of salted goodness.

"What is that man doing to that poor girl?" Rina squeaked, peeking out from behind the cushion that she had shoved in front of her face as soon as she had dared to look at the screen.

"He's trying to kill her," Flo answered simply, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain murder to Rina.

"But, _why_?" Rina asked, ducking behind the cushion again as the man swung the axe around wildly.

"Because of a reason we will probably find out later," Flo said through gritted teeth. She wanted to watch the movie in peace, not play twenty questions!

"But–" Rina started, but was sharply cut off by Flo.

"Would you shut the hell up?!" Flo roared.

It was the perfect imitation of Kaida that she had been working on: it needed a bit more practice, but she found the message seemed to sink through to Rina, who nodded and turned her eyes back to the TV screen. Flo sank back into her comfy spot, satisfied by a job well done. She watched happily as the Killer popped up out nowhere, making her jump. However, Rina took this surprise much worse. She screamed her head off and threw the cushion up to cover her face, but it had slipped from her grasp and gone hurtling back into a glass cabinet. Flo could only watch with horror as one of the china figures wobbled and, in slow motion, fell from its place and crashed to the floor.

"Nooooo!" Flo screamed, perfectly in sync with the girl who was about to be murdered on the TV. Flo's situation, however, had to be a worse horror than any film made. She flung herself over the sofa to inspect the damage; it wasn't a pleasant sight. Rina had hit a Ponyta figurine and had managed to knock off its head, its tail, and three legs.

"Damn it!" Flo screamed, realising that she could only see two of the three missing legs. "Rina!"

"Hi?" Rina plodded over, worried that Flo would fish slap her again.

"Find the other leg while I go find some glue. With any luck she will never know…" Flo dashed off towards the kitchen to start rummaging through drawers.

"Isn't that dishonest?" Rina pondered aloud.

"Hey!" Flo swung her head round the door. "You can lecture me about being dishonest when you stop stealing people's stuff!"

"It's not stealing! It's borrowing!" Rina huffed defensively.

"Whatever, house breaker!" Flo yelled back from her place in the kitchen. "Yes! Superglue, my white sticky angel!" Flo announced happily, shoving the drawer back in and darting back to the broken pieces on the floor. Ten minutes later, and after much debate over which piece went where, the Ponyta was back in one piece, apart from the missing leg.

"We have to find it!" Flo hissed, crawling around on her hands and knees desperately. There was a sudden purr from behind her as Purugly entered the room, looking extremely pleased with itself.

"You better not have eaten that leg!" Flo growled.

The cat Pokémon simply purred again as the scraping sound of keys in the door echoed throughout the house.

"_Walloping Woopers_!" Flo eyed the handicapped figurine, the horror movie, which was still going on in the background, and the bags of crisps and sweets littering the table. Quick as a flash, Flo placed the ponyta back in its right place, switched over to a documentary channel and stuffed the offending food behind her pillows in the sofa. Marigold entered looking quite merry. Flo reckoned that she must have had a fair bit to drink as she hadn't noticed anything was wrong yet.

"Hello, girlsss!" The merry woman hissed. Her accent still made her sound scary, despite her rather slapstick drunken face. Then, suddenly, her happy face changed into an untrusting glare. "Something in here isn't right!"

Flo gulped, praying her aunt was too drunk to notice the badly glued Ponyta.

"But now I must sleep. I'll find out what's different in morning!" With one last swooping gaze of the room, she stumbled out through the door, almost tripping over the edge of the carpet. She managed to stay up right by grabbing onto the doorframe and swaying for a few seconds. She really had had a lot to drink.

"Well, that went well," Rina chirped happily, pulling her supply of cookies from behind one of the sofa cushions.

"I think tomorrow I will die," Flo said, rocking backwards and forwards in her seat.

It was approximately seven hours left until judgement day.

**-**

At exactly seven o'clock that morning, Rina was awoken by a ground-shaking war cry that echoed from the living room. Flo was already awake and dressed, spinning in the computer chair with a fearful expression upon her face.

"Huh what happened?" Rina asked sleepily, asking the wall more then Flo.

"She found it. She found what you did!" Flo replied, her voice monotone. Bringing her legs up to her chest, she rested her forehead on her knees and prepared for the second wave of war screams which, as predicted, came swiftly and violently after the first.

"What did I do again?" Rina yawned and tried to pull herself up from the bed, but failed stupendously by slipping backwards and slamming her head into the wall.

"Well, that was clever." Rina heard Flo mumble.

"How do you know?" Rina asked, confused, as she rubbed the new bump on her head. Did Flo have some sort of ESP? She had read about it in her latest manga. "You weren't even looking."

"I know because you are an idiot. Plus, your head is hollow so it makes a hollow echo when you hit it."

Rina's eyes grew wide. "Really!?!" she asked excitedly.

Flo groaned as Rina started the hit her head with her hands. She then used the wall to find out if Flo was right.

"There really is no help for you, is there?" Flo sighed watching the idiot with purple hair continue to bash her head around. It was said that every time you bang your head you lost a brain cell – perhaps more. If that was true, Flo thought, then Rina must have very little or none left at all, which wouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

"Florence!" The booming voice was of the one and only Marigold.

"OK, I'm off to die."

Flo groaned at Rina, who stopped hitting her head for a few seconds to offer the comforting words of, "Have a nice time!" in her little cheery voice and, for an after thought, "I wonder if it will be sunny there."

Fifteen minutes of shouting later, Flo had been screamed at by Marigold that she and Rina would have to pay for the damage they had inflicted upon the Ponyta. It was a _lot _of money. This was money that Flo didn't have and only Rina's credit card possessed. Flo explained this problem to Rina on the wall outside her aunts house, after they had been driven out of the house by glares and demands of, "Where's my money girl?!"

"So we owe her one hundred Poképounds, or fifty each," Flo concluded. "Now we need a plan on how to earn that money."

Rina tilted her head, confused. "You earn money? Why don't you just use your credit card or ask your parents?"

"Well," Flo glared angrily at Rina, who was truly proving how spoilt and sheltered she actually was. "For one, my parents aren't rich and two, I don't have a credit card because I don't want you to steal it and get me in ten grand of debt buying a stupid, useless fish!" Flo let out a snarl of rage, causing Rina to stumble backwards over the low garden wall and into a bed of pansies. This only caused Flo satisfaction for so long: she had more pressing matters to attend to.

"You know." Rina appeared leaning over the wall with dirt and bits of flower in her hair. "I've heard of a way that people earn money and I think anyone can do it. I heard my parents talking about it"

"Really? What do you have to do?" Flo asked interestedly. If anyone could do it then it must be easy.

"You have to go stand on a street corner." Rina tapped her head as if trying to get her brain to work. Clearly she did not succeed.

"And…" Flo pressed, trying to coax a bit more information out of Rina's brain. It was like trying to milk a Tauros: completely impossible and definitely dangerous.

"I think that's it."

Flo was now very confused. How could anyone get paid for standing on a street corner?!

"OOOH!" Rina yelled loudly as she remembered another scrap of information. "And you have to dress up in stylish clothes. Well, I think Mum said stylish. I know it began with an 's'." Rina thumped her head again to get more thoughts to pop out.

"You know that rings a Chingling," Flo said, trying to cast her mind back to when she had last heard of these people that dressed up to go out on the street. "I think my mum said it was bad."

"How could it be bad?" Rina tilted her head in her normal confused way.

"I dunno." Flo shrugged. "But it's the best plan we have! To the clothes store!"

Flo grabbed Rina's arm and yanked her from the wall, making her stumble to find her footing as she chased after Flo, who was excited at the prospect of new clothes.

Upon reaching the town at the bottom of the hill, Flo pushed Rina into one of her favourite shops, which to be honest would have made both Kaida and Nila cry at the sight of the clothes that were being sold. The mannequins in the window were either covered from head to toe in neon, animal print, or wearing hardly anything at all. It was Flo's favourite shop to go to when visiting her aunt. She had many dear memories of sitting at the window as a little girl, staring in at all the bright colours, dreaming that one day she could wear them and look as good as the mannequins did. She froze as she entered the store. It was all she had ever dreamed of: rails upon rails of brightly coloured perfection, leggings in every colour, leggings with zips, leggings with studs, leggings that looked wet! There were even jeggings, a mix of jeans and leggings. So many choices! Her perfect moment was ruined, however, by a loud popping sound behind her. Slowly turning, she saw Rina using her tongue to scoop her popped green bubble gum back into her mouth. She then started chewing like a ravenous Miltank. Flo glared, wishing the fire of a thousand Charizard to come flaming down on Rina.

"Gum?" Rina asked, ignoring the bulging eyes of the girl in the plum-coloured hoodie.

"Die," Flo snarled.

"Huh, what you say?" Rina had gone into her daydream land in a few seconds of offering the would-be apple-flavoured treat.

"Never mind," Flo grumbled, eyeing Rina's sticky fingers. Flo decided to do what was best for everyone. "You go sit by the changing rooms while I pick out outfits for us, OK?" Flo jabbed her finger violently in the direction of the changing rooms as Rina opened her mouth to argue. However, Rina, in the end, decided not to push Flo and her deadly finger and shuffled off towards the changing rooms, muttering that no one trusted her.

Finally Flo had peace to gaze at the wonderful fabric creations.

After hours of choosing her absolute favourite outfit, Flo had finally started on picking Rina's, while Rina had fallen asleep, sitting up in the changing room chair.

"Too long," Flo muttered, shoving the hanging tops along at great speed. "Oh, that's gorgeous," she whispered, pulling out a pair of metallic blue wet-look leggings overlaid by a pair of fluorescent yellow lacy leggings. "No Flo," she scolded, slapping her own hand. "You can not own everything in this shop, although some day we will… Must be patient, must have control…" Her muttering caused a few raised eyebrows from other shoppers and staff members, who now didn't dare go to ask her if she needed assistance. A few more rails of clothes later and Flo had thrown together an outfit for Rina. Whether she would appreciate it was another matter. Rina was asleep in one of the chairs in the changing room's waiting area when Flo threw Rina's new little pile of clothes at her, making her jolt awake screaming something about the whereabouts of cheese.

"Try that on," Flo said, grinning.

She carried her own pile into a spare changing room. Rina followed sleepily: shopping was very tiring.

Ten minutes of pulling on clothes and accessorising, as well as helping Rina dress properly, the girls stood happily in their outfits. Well, Flo was happy at least. She stood proudly in her dazzling outfit. She had donned a long white t-shirt layered with a black cropped leather jacket. On her legs were fluorescent green leggings that led on to white and pink leopard print leg warmers and, to complete the ensemble, she wore luminous pink platform sandals. Flo twirled around, happily admiring herself in the mirror.

"Damn, I look good!" She grabbed her discarded arm warmers and pulled them on. The pink, only a few shades lighter, would match with her shoes and the pink chain necklace she was also wearing. Rina stomped out a moment later looking grumpy.

"It's too tight!" She huffed, pulling at the many belts around her waist. Flo had dressed her in a black tunic dress that poofed out at the waist, which Flo had accessorised with lots of little brightly coloured belts. On her legs she had black and pink leopard print leggings that matched Flo's own leg warmers and on her feet high heeled roman sandals.

"But you look so good," Flo cooed, shoving Rina at the mirror to take a look herself.

But Rina's eyes were attracted to something else.

"Shiny!" she squealed, dashing off to grab whatever it was that took her fancy.

"No helping some people," Flo scoffed, grabbing a plum baker boy hat off a nearby stand and admiring this with the rest of her outfit.

"I have to have this," came a childlike voice from behind her.

Rina stood there, clutching a blue zebra print bag made of sequins so it sparkled in the light.

"Well that's not a complete fashion disaster," Flo smiled. "You are learning, my young apprentice."

"What's an apprentice?" Rina asked her head, performing her customary head tilt.

"Never mind." Flo sighed. "Let's get out of these clothes and pay."

Upon reaching the counter, Rina promised to pay on her parents credit card as Flo had little money. This would change when their plan went ahead successfully of course. The clothes added up to a nice round number that made Flo's eyes pop but Rina merely handed over the credit card, unfazed, dreaming about her new shiny bag.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but your card has been denied," the cashier said, causing Flo's eyes to bulge even more.

"Hum, must be some mistake," Rina pondered aloud. "Oh, well, I'll call Mum and Dad in a minute. I think I have enough money in here to pay for that." If Flo's eyes could have become any wider then they would have been the size of saucepans as Rina pulled out a bulging purse from her backpack. Flo had never seen so much change in her life, each coin as shiny as the next.

"Ooh, a note." Rina plucked the note, which had been folded into a tiny square, out of its corner and unfolded it.

"Fifty!" Flo screamed. "I've never seen that kind of money in my life"

"I don't like notes. They aren't shiny." Rina placed the note on the desk for the cashier and turned back to grin at Flo, who was doing an amazing expression of a gormless Feebas. "Isn't shopping fun?! Now lets go get some ice cream!" Taking her change from the cashier, and thrusting the bags at Flo, she grabbed Flo's paralysed arm and dragged her from the shop, happily humming as she did so.

Rina left Flo on a bench, overlooking the sea, as she went to buy them ice cream. Flo was still in shock about the amount of money in Rina's purse. She had a few bones to pick with her.

"I rang my parents." Rina pouted as she handed Flo her cherry ice cream cone. "They cancelled my credit card!"

Flo snorted, causing bits of ice cream to flick everywhere.

"Did they say why?" she asked.

"Just that I wasn't being responsible enough… Like buying a Magikarp! But he's worth every penny, they are rare!"

At that precise moment a few Magikarp in the harbour took the opportunity to leap in the air, though Rina didn't seem to register this. It did, however, cause Flo to burst into a fit of giggles, which she tried to hide behind her ice cream.

Rina continued, "They just don't understand!"

"Of course not." Flo smirked, licking her ice cream. She had to admit, having Rina around was quite amusing.

While they were enjoying their ice creams, the girls decided to let out their Pokémon for some exercise, since they had been stuck in their pokeballs since the previous evening. Rina, fortunately, left Magikarp in his Pokéball but, still, the two idiotic Slowpoke were bad enough, plodding around the bench hoping that one of the girls would drop some food. While Flo tried to avoid their hungry, expectant faces, her Hoppip was on a mission of its own. After being released from its Pokéball, it had caught a glimpse of something pink and multicoloured; it was time for super Hoppip to shine!

Bobbing stealthily away from the two girls, out of sight of its nemesis, Hoppip floated over the maniacal Jigglypuff, letting a fine dusty Sleep Powder fall onto it. Jigglypuff looked up, alarmed, with its eyes starting to droop. Super Hoppip had prevailed again above evil! Then, abruptly, a large gust of wind caught Hoppip off guard and it started to tumble through the air, unable to stop itself. Jigglypuff let loose an evil chuckle before drifting off to sleep. What a stupid Pokémon, Jigglypuff thought, to be swept away by the wind. Jigglypuff was far too powerful for that, too heavy for that, and, wait… Did that mean Jigglypuff _was _fat…?

Hoppip felt itself getting dizzier by the moment, helplessly spiralling, until it span into warm arms.

"Useless Pokémon," Flo muttered.

-

After Hoppip's adventure, the girls decided to change into their outfits and find the perfect corner to stand on. As they walked down the street, their heels clacking against the stone, they received some concerned looks from passers-by, although Flo didn't understand why. Surely if this standing on street corners was so easy, she expected that they should be used to people doing it. They finally decided on the corner by the sweet shop so that, if it was hard work, they could always grab a few snacks, although Flo imagined it would just be boring: Rina had packed her new bag full of manga. They stood on their corner for over an hour, with Flo smiling and waving at people on the street or in their cars, hoping they would give her the money that Rina had promised they would get for doing this. Finally a car pulled up, lowered its window, and a middle aged man popped his head out, looking at the girls with some confusion.

"Children, what are you doing?" he asked.

Rina was oblivious to him and continued to read her manga, but Flo informed him happily.

"We are standing on a street corner to get money."

"Excuse me!" The man exclaimed, twitching his moustache. "But you only look about twelve!"

A small crowd had gathered behind him to watch the proceedings. One woman was heard to mutter, "That's disgusting!"

"I'm eleven!" Rina said cheerfully, not looking away from her manga.

"Eleven! Well, I say!"

The man's moustache twitched again. Flo found herself oddly fascinated: it was strangely fetching.

"Go home, girls, and never ever stand on a street corner again, especially when you don't know what it means." And, with one last twitch of the moustache, he drove off.

"What does standing on a street corner mean then?" Flo asked, helping Rina to her feet.

"I dunno." Rina shrugged, clueless. "Maybe it means that if you stand there then a new traffic light is gonna be placed there."

"Must be," Flo said, "but how are we going to get the money now?"

Rina shrugged. "Let's go up to the house and do some research."

"With what?"

"The internet!"

Rina gasped. "But my mama says the internet is just for porn!"

"Yeah, well, your mama is stupid." Flo stuck her tongue out and started to run up the hill with a fuming Rina behind her.

"My mum isn't stupid"

"She made you, didn't she?!" Flo retorted childishly.

Rina's eyes popped. Her fist now were shaking.

Flo put a hand on her chin and pretended to think. "Though she did cancel your credit card, so I guess that makes you the stupid one."

"Arrgh!" Rina screamed, chasing after Flo like a mad woman.

Flo thought that it was just like having a tamer version of Kaida around.

-

"What on earth are you wearing?!"

These were the first incredulous words out of John's mouth as Flo turned on the video call. When they had returned to the house, Flo had received a call for John, explaining how Grimer had decided to join them on their trip and to ask if he could have its Pokéball so he could send it back to them. He had just come back from retrieving the Pokémon when he noticed their odd looking outfits.

"They are amazing, aren't they?!" Flo squealed, getting up and twirling for him. Luckily – or unluckily – she missed John's grimace and remained blissfully ignorant.

"I'm sending him back to you now," John said, waving the Pokéball at the screen before putting it on the transport platform. A few seconds later and the Pokéball materialised down the girls' end and Flo put it safely back in her bag. Rina, at this point, was too engrossed with her manga to watch the computer screen.

"Thanks, John." Flo waved him off as he bid her goodbye and told her not cause too much trouble. Closing the video call, Flo noticed a pop up that had appeared behind it. 'Single woman.' _Indeed I am_, Flo thought and began to read on.

'Needs need to be fulfilled.' Well, she did need one hundred Poképounds…

'Can't find someone?' And everyone had been very unhelpful!

'We can help you here at . Register now and find that special someone!' _Hmm_, Flo thought. Perhaps someone on there would help her.

Flo clicked on the link excitedly as she was sent to something that, at the top of the page, appeared to be called a chat room. At the bottom a box flashed, asking for a username, her gender, and her body type. It also asked for her age but it was not necessary to put it. Flo chose _cutiegirl12 _as her user name and started to read all the chat rooms that she could enter, which were listed down the side.

One of the first said, 'Surf & Turf One Nighters.' But, Flo thought, she didn't want to surf to redo her driveway so that was a no. She continued onto_ '_Pussy lovers._' _Aww, cute kitties. Flo thought about this and then remembered Purugly, who was an ominous presence downstairs. Perhaps not then. She moved to the next one.'Let's do it how they do on the discovery channel.' This alarmed Flo. Were they going to eat people?! She quickly scrolled down.'The Rainbow Room: for the experienced only._' _That did sound like a cute, fun place but she wasn't sure it was right for her. The next was'69 lovers' and she found it a little bizarre that some weird people were worshipping a number. Then she struck gold.'Little helpers: always there to fulfil your needs.'Flo took one last glance at Rina before double clicking. Almost immediately a box popped up saying, "Hiya, Cutie," with a small wink smiley next to it. Flo spotted his name was Mr Handy. She had to be talking to the right guy.

"Hiya, handy," she typed, returning the wink. This was actually quite fun.

"So, babe, where you living at?"

"Olivine City at the moment, baby. Say, how old are you?"

"I am forty years young love and ready for action. How's about yourself?"

"Yah, I'm thirty-five." Flo giggled.

"Oooh, a younger woman," he replied.

Flo snickered. If only he knew... When Flo didn't reply immediately, Mr Handy typed something else.

"So you're young and in your prime. You like to party?"

Flo was quick to reply. "Definitely, I LOVE parties. I party all the time!"

Mr Handy did another wink.

"How about partying with me?"

"Sounds great. When do you want me?"

"Meet me at six in Rock Café. If you're lucky then I'll buy you dinner." He winked again.

Just as Flo was agreeing, Rina took that moment to look up and, seeing the screen, her eyes grew wide with alarm. This was not good!

"Ahhhh!" she screamed as Flo pressed the enter key.

Flo turned to see if Rina had seen a disturbing picture in her manga, but found Rina leaping at her to get to the computer.

"Delete the evil! Delete!" she howled, smashing the keyboard.

"Argh! Get off me, you freak!" Flo's voice was muffled by Rina's stomach as she clambered over Flo to get to the off button. Once pressed, Rina retreated, pleased with herself for saving Flo's soul. She returned to her manga.

"You are such a weirdo," Flo whispered, looking at Rina with confusion and annoyance. "Anyway, I'm still going tonight!" Flo huffed, folding her arms determinedly.

Rina lowered her manga so only her glaring eyes were showing. She had never looked so serious when she hissed, "He's going to eat your soul!"

Flo laughed.

-

After a few hours of reassuring Rina that Mr Handy wasn't going to eat her soul, Flo sat at the table that he had told her to sit at with Rina and her Slowpoke under the table still mumbling stuff like 'soul eater,' 'stranger danger,' and 'unnatural being.' Just as Flo was about to kick Rina, the bell above the door rang. In strolled a tall, plump man of around forty years of age. His gelled brown hair was greying and a there bald spot forming at the back. A handlebar moustache sat below his nose, looking nicely combed and gelled. He wore a tight white T-shirt and black leather trousers with shiny army boots. Flo smiled as he caught sight of her. He looked very confused.

"Heya, Mr Handy" Flo grinned happily.

The man gulped. She was definitely not thirty-five.

"How old are you really?" he asked nervously.

"Twelve," Flo replied.

The man gulped again. A bead of perspiration slid down his brow and he wrung his hands together nervously.

"Mr Handy…"

"Please, don't call me that," he whispered, distinctly embarrassed by the turn of events. "Just call me Andrew."

"OK, Andrew. I'm Flo."

Flo stuck out her hand for him to shake. He took it timidly.

"Why would you want to go to a chat room?" Andrew asked, bewildered.

"Because I needed a need fulfilled and the advert said I could find people to help me," Flo answered, still unperturbed by his age and his apparent fear of her.

"What need was this?" Andrew looked extremely reluctant to ask and his eyes were pinned firmly on a scratch on the wood of the table. "Well?"

Flo then told him of the crazy day that they had had. She spoke of the broken Ponyta and the backfired plan, which made him chuckle at their innocence.

"Well standing on street corners like that generally means you will sell yourself for sex," he informed her, smiling a little as her face looked horrified.

"Oh, my,_ Sweet Smoochum_, why would anyone do that?!"

"Well, the money for one," Andrew said. He didn't want to delve into further details about the career choices of prostitutes so, instead, he said, "You know, I could come speak to that Aunt of yours. See if I can get you off the hook…?"

"Thank you!" Flo squealed. "But why would you do that when I lied to you?"

"Because you have made a very lonely man laugh for the first time in years. Now let's go see your _aahh_!"

"My Aahh?" Flo asked, confused. Her brow wrinkled. She didn't have an aahh.

"My boots," Andrew cried, jerking his foot from under the table and revealing a very slimy black boot that looked like it had a few teeth marks in.

"RINA!" Flo shrieked, causing Rina to pop out from under the table with one Slowpoke under each arm.

"You are a dirty man!" Rina glared at Andrew. The fact that he was offering to help them seemed to have flown over her.

"But, my boot!" He was flabbergasted. The boot was ruined! Then he sniffed. "Oh, my, what's that smell?!"

He covered his nose and Flo copied him. It was awful!

"Wally and Wonky don't like strangers!" Rina huffed, tightening her hold on the two Pokémon.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Flo said, grabbing Rina's elbow and pulling her out of the door before the other customers smelt the Slowpoke fart.

They weren't normally _this _gassy, Flo thought. What on earth had they been eating? Her mind flashed back to Marigold's questionable meat pies… That had to be it. Flo was cutting Rina's Slowpoke off. She couldn't put up with it anymore.

Rina followed behind the pair, glaring as they made the short journey up the hill to the house.

"So why were you in that chat room?" Flo asked breaking the silence.

"Well, I don't want you thinking I'm a dirty pervert, though sometimes dirty is good… Um…" He coughed, embarrassed by his sudden outburst. "I guess I was there because I'm lonely and I just want somebody to spend lonely nights with…"

"Sex maniac!" Rina yelled from behind, causing Andrew to blush a shocking shade of magenta.

Flo wasn't sure what had got into Rina. She wasn't aware that Rina even knew what sex was. She hurried to speak to Andrew, saying, "Just ignore her. She hasn't learnt how to socialise properly yet… Anyway," Flo pressed, "you were saying?"

Having a mature person to talk to was a nice change, Flo mused.

"Well, that's about it. I just want someone to spend my days with and make me happy."

"Yeah, I bet you would" Rina hissed.

"Would you shut up?! You are ruining his heart-wrenching story of a life without love!" Flo screamed.

"Which he wants to be filled with sex! The dirty pervert! I've read manga about guys like you! Mum gave them to me! She told me I had to watch out for creepy men because they only want one thing!"

_That_ explained the sudden burst of knowledge then. It wasn't a burst of knowledge at all: Rina still had no clue what sex was, she had just been told it was bad by her Mum and some ridiculous manga. This made a lot more sense because Flo knew she hadn't told Rina about sex and none of the others would have willingly spoken to her about those things either. Rina was such an idiot!

"Life is more complicated then your damn manga!" Flo screamed back, even louder then before if this was even possible. Flo wouldn't have been surprised if then all of Olivine could hear the conversation. Well, that was a slight exaggeration, but the few streets around them definitely could. Luckily they had reached the door and Flo ushered Andrew in, all the while glaring at Rina, who chose to sit outside and look at the stars. Flo's aunt was sitting in her armchair in the living room with Purugly at her feet.

"Umm, Auntie?" Flo said, her voice sounding a bit shaky.

"What you want?" came her Aunt's gruff voice.

"This man has come to see you."

Her aunt turned in her seat and her eyes softened when they fell upon Andrew.

"Good evening, madam." Andrew nodded and smiled politely.

"Well, hello," Marigold smirked. "Flo, leave now, so we get acquainted."

Flo scurried out of the room, giving Andrew a good luck smile. She decided that she better go to check on Rina before she broke anything else, but found her lying peacefully on the hilly bank in the front garden. Flo flopped down beside her to stare at the stars herself.

"They're beautiful." Flo sighed.

"I wish I were a star," Rina whispered. "Then I would be free to fly in the sky and people wouldn't yell at me."

"We only yell because we care," Flo said, nudging Rina's arm so she would turn to see her reassuring smile. "And because sometimes it's the only way you listen to us."

"So you don't hate me?" Rina asked hopefully.

"Nah, we don't hate you. We get annoyed with you sometimes but never hate. But that happens in every family doesn't it?"

"We're a family" Rina repeated happily.

"Well, it's a better name than group of travelling freaks."

Flo smiled, stretching out on the grass, but her peace was ruined when a loud scream echoed through the house. The two girls sat up and watch as a very peculiar event happened. Andrew came running out screaming, clad in just his underwear; the rest of his clothes were gathered in his arms.

"What in Victreebel's name…?!" Flo asked, watching the man run down the hill.

"I still got it," came the satisfied voice of Marigold, who the girls saw was standing at the door way, smoking, wearing a bright pink, silk nightgown. "Ban on house stays, but debt cancelled." She blew out another smoke ring and smirked. "He was worth it." She walked back inside, humming what sounded like an army song.

"Well that was unexpected?" Flo said, rubbing her head.

"Maybe she tried to eat his soul," Rina offered, before lying back down to continue her star gazing.

"Maybe," Flo said absently. It was a beautiful night.

One of the Slowpoke farted loudly. Flo clenched her fists. She was _burning_ those pies.

And it was a lot later that night, when Flo finally thought back to the recent events, that she realised that Rina had, all along, the money to pay back Marigold for the broken Ponyta. They had been through all of that for nothing! Flo certainly wouldn't be mentioning that lack of thinking to anyone else: Kaida would never let her hear the end of it.

Plus, Flo reasoned, it wasn't all for nothing. She did have her _gorgeous_ new clothes.


	37. Chapter 37: revenge and flabby men

**A/N**

Seriously... last update before uni and no idea if there will be internet since no proper accommodation yet...

Enjoy.

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**37. Revenge and flabby men**

Kaida was still fuming when they left the enormous cruise ship at the tiny harbour in Cianwood City and stories about Reid's meeting with a lunatic did _not _cheer her up because she was sore that she had missed it. She was angry with the lot of themand so focused her attention on the sight in front of her. The so-called city was tucked in front of towering cliffs and was very small in area but was filled with seemingly endless rows of tin houses. They looked like they had huddled together for protection. Around the harbour were tiny fishing boats and nets and their giant luxury ship looked very out of place in isolated Cianwood. Kaida threw herself on the land as soon as she could and refused to move for several minutes. She was safe again. The horrible, churning sea was no longer beneath her. Finally free…

"You do realise we have to go back, don't you?" Reid said, successfully ruining her relief.

Kaida leapt to her feet and walloped him around the head. Now that her stomach had settled she could deal out punishment again. They definitely deserved it: they had left her seasick and helpless on the floor to go to get food from the café. They were all evil.

"Reid?" a voice said.

Reid swore.

He had managed to avoid Lisa for the rest of the duration of the cruise but, sadly enough, it seemed she had finally caught up with him. She walked towards him determinedly and Reid quailed at the sight of her.

"It has come to my attention that I may have been a little, _forward_, in my attentions," she told him, "but that is only because I was dazzled by my sparkling savior and, er, I mean… I will not give up on our love! Even if it takes you a while to see it, we are destined to be together."

Before he could make any sort of reply, she flounced off. She did look back once, hesitantly, as if wondering whether she could rush back into his arms, but she managed to pull herself together to keep moving.

"That was easy," Reid said, eyes scrunching up in confusion. "I expected her to put up more of a fight."

"I told her you were being too forward," Nila explained.

"Thanks," Reid said gratefully, surprised that Nila had actually done him a favour for once.

"Yeah," Nila said, nodding her head seriously, "but it was Kaida who gave her your number."

"WHAT?!" Reid exploded.

Kaida gave him a smug look and refused to back down. "Well maybe you shouldn't leave me seasick on the floor next time!" She turned her glare to John. "My revenge on _you _will come next."

"Hey," John said, waving his hands defensively. "What about Nila?"

"I redeemed myself by helping her give Reid's number to Lisa," Nila replied, crouching down to pick her Eevee up. It sat contently in her arms and watched the proceedings with wide, curious eyes.

Reid's glare turned on Nila. Yes, he should have known her niceness had been too good to be true. Great. Now the loon would probably be calling him day and night…

"Come on," said John, still eyeing Kaida warily. "We need to find the medicine shop."

Despite Cianwood's relatively modest size, it was a veritable labyrinth because all of the houses looked identical and then streets cut through each other haphazardly. John tried to consult his guidebook but the map of the town didn't seem to match up with the actual street plan of the city. He scratched his head and spun around on his heels, his heavy backpack swinging behind him. On his second rotation Kaida was forced to duck to avoid him and her glare increased.

"Maybe you need a new version like Matt," she said meanly.

John clutched his guidebook to his chest. "No, I can find out where we are. We're not lost at all… We're just… Is that building a hospital?"

"No, it's a grocery," Reid said, glancing at the building that John had gestured to. "Look, let me take a look. See, it's obvious where we are. Look, there's the fountain…"

"That's a puddle," John interrupted.

"No," Reid insisted. "It's a fountain."

They started to tug at the guidebook. They were both equally determined that they knew where they were – not lost _at all _– even though they thought they were in different places. Kaida and Nila watched in considerable boredom.

"Men," Nila said flatly, her tone and exasperated expression conveying it all.

Kaida went up to the next person that went by and asked them for directions. Two seconds later they left the boys behind and were on route to the medicine man and, another five minutes later, they had found his house. It was a professional looking shop and, when they entered, a bell rung above their heads and a short old man emerged from the background. Kaida nudged Nila forwards and the taller girl rolled her eyes.

"Hi," Nila said, rearranging her grip on Eevee. "Jasmine sent us from Olivine City to pick up your special secret potion for the lighthouse Ampharos."

"Jasmine sent you?" the man said, putting on his spectacles to peer at them. His brow furrowed. "Just how old are you?"

"Twelve," Nila replied.

The man scoffed. "She thinks I'm sending my valuable secretpotion over with a couple of twelve year olds. I told her to come herself if she wants the damn potion that badly."

"She's looking after the Ampharos," Kaida said, her eyebrows rising at his vehemence.

"Well she's not doing much good there. She needs the potion," the shopkeeper said. "And this potion has very rare, expensive ingredients and only I know how to make it. Well, there are a few others… but they can't do it as good as I can," he boasted. Then his smug face fell back into a frown and he added, waspishly, "You can't have it. I'm practically stalked by Team Rocket and every time I try and ship my potion out with amateurs they steal it! I don't want my potion being used in _their _organisation. No, unless there is a strong trainer to protect it, that potion is not going anywhere."

"We're strong trainers," Kaida insisted.

"Oh yeah?!" the man said disbelievingly. "Prove it."

"We both have four gym badges," Kaida told him.

The man gave a derisive snort. "Four. That's all you've got! A basic grunt could overpower you!"

Kaida and Nila thought back to their own experiences with Team Rocket – where mostly they had managed to overpower the grunts without too much hassle – and felt rather offended.

"I'll tell you what," the man said. "If you can beat the gym leader of Cianwood, Chuck, then I'll give you this medicine."

"Fine." Kaida narrowed her eyes. "Anything else?"

The medicine man just laughed to himself and returned to the back of his shop.

"Rude," Kaida muttered, elongating the first vowel.

Reid and John still hadn't arrived at the shop, and they had no idea if they ever would, so Kaida and Nila left and sought directions to the Pokémon gym. The gym turned out to be situated to the north, on top of tall cliffs, but, because of these cliffs, the only way to get to the gym was to travel south through the town towards the centre of the island and then double back. The cliffs in the north, fronted by a large beach, where sheer and there were few safe routes up them. Neither Kaida nor Nila wished to test their luck so they decided to take the long way round.

When they finally reached the land above the town and turned north towards the gym, the wind bit into them. There was little shelter – there were a few scraggly shrubs and brittle, beaten grass – and this meant they saw the collapsed figure from quite a way away. They sped up to find a large, muscular middle-aged man sprawled out across the ground. He was shirtless, clad only in a pair of shorts, and his face was a ruddy red.

"Are you OK?" Kaida asked him.

He didn't reply. He continued his heavy breathing and Nila frowned. After another moment she kicked him lightly in the side. He wheezed.

"I'm fine," he managed, coughing from the effort of speaking. "Just fine."

He didn't sound or look fine. They stared at him sceptically.

"One minute," he gasped.

They waited with raised eyebrows. Finally the man took one sharp breath and, the next second, he was back on his feet, grinning furiously at them, awash with sudden energy.

"Wahahah!" the man roared.

"Um," Kaida said, her green eyes blinking furiously in her surprise at the sudden transformation. Beside her, Nila's eyebrows had almost risen into her hair.

"I'm tough," the man bragged, flexing his arm muscles. "Don't let that little display fool you!" His head swivelled rapidly from side to side and his eyes popped wide when he saw a medium sized boulder. He stomped over to it and, with some strain, managed to pick it up and raise it above his head. "Oooargh!" He threw the boulder some metres away, where it cracked. "See that!" he boasted. "I'm tough! Aren't I tough?!"

Kaida and Nila nodded rapidly in agreement. What a lunatic…

Then the man let out a grunt of pain and put a hand on his lower back. His face screwed up and he stooped over. Reverting to a wheezing, pained voice, he said, "That may have been a mistake." He promptly fell back over.

Now more wary of the man after his boulder throwing theatrics, Kaida and Nila located a branch and they poked the man with it when he failed to move. This seemed to incite him again as he was back on his feet in a second, roaring and drumming his chest. They jumped backwards in shock but he soon let out another groan of pain and slumped over.

"Er, can go get you some help?" Kaida offered.

"No, no," the man said dismissively. "I just need to get to the gym."

In the end they helped the man by letting him lean his considerable weight on Sandslash. They walked slowly with him as he staggered back to the distant Cianwood gym. When they neared the gym, a woman in a yellow dress emerged from the gym. Her hair was tied up by an orange band and she put her hands on her hips.

"Hurt yourself training again?" she said. "I told you, your old age is catching up to you!" She jabbed him in the stomach and he doubled over. "Look at that flab!"

"Miho, always insulting," the man gasped. He straightened up again. "This is my wife."

"Thanks for getting him home," the woman said, smiling at them.

"Home?" Kaida repeated.

"Yes," Miho said, nodding. "Didn't this oaf tell you? He's Chuck, the gym leader of Cianwood!"

This man was _gym leader_? Kaida and Nila looked at him in disbelief. He was crazy!

Miho laughed at their surprise. "I'm shocked too! He's got so chubby recently that no one thinks he can be Johto's famous fighting champion!" She pointed to a sign on the front of the gym which read: _his roaring fists do the talking_. She laughed at it. "His big belly does the talking, more like!" She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm serving lunch now. You want any?"

Kaida and Nila glanced at each other and then accepted. They were fairly hungry. They were led into the gym, which was set out like a dojo, with fighting halls and equipment everywhere. Some students were wearing white robes and were practising karate chops but, when they saw Miho and Chuck, they all stopped and clamoured around Miho, eager for their lunch. Miho led them all to a room with a low, wooden table, and they sat on cushions as she brought out bowls of steaming rice and various curries to go on top. It looked so delicious that even Nila, eternally picky, looked interested.

It took a long time to finish lunch because Miho insisted they finish off the last scraps. It was little wonder that Chuck had put on weight if he was getting fed like this every meal, Kaida thought, patting her bloated belly. She was only small! She couldn't possibly eat like that all the time! Nila was starting to look a bit green but she resolutely finished off her bowl. It was when they had finished lunch that there was a chime on the bell at the front of the gym. Miho went to investigate and soon brought back the familiar faces of Reid and John.

"Ooh, food," Reid said, perking up.

"It's all gone now, slow coaches," Miho said.

Reid's face fell dramatically.

"You should have been quicker," Miho chastised. "But it's OK! You can stick around for dinner instead!"

Reid still looked disappointed that he had missed the meal – it all smelt wonderful – but he looked a little happier at the prospect of dinner.

"Now you need to work it off!" Miho said, waving them away from the table. "But go easy straight away! I don't want anyone being sick!"

The young students all thanked her furiously before running off, their feet pattering along the hallways.

"So what are you doing up here?" Miho said, kicking her husband in the side so he got up to help her with the dishes.

"We wanted to challenge Chuck," Kaida informed her.

"You do?!" Chuck said, looking highly enthused. "Well I'll warn you! My Pokémon can crush stones and shatter bones! Come on, let's go!"

But Miho grabbed his ear and dragged him back.

"Not until you help me clean these up, chubby," she said. "I made you all this food so you can help put it away!"

"OK, OK!" Chuck said.

It was quite amusing to watch such a small woman boss around her giant, hulking husband. They all grinned as she swiped him around the head when he almost dropped a plate, which only caused him to fumble some more, but fortunately he kept his hold on the crockery. Miho directed them to the main gym and told them to wait there until Chuck had finished helping her.

"I can't believe you ate all the food," Reid said miserably, patting his stomach.

John whipped out some snacks from his enormous bag and handed them to Reid. Reid ate them but still looked unhappy. He much preferred a good hot meal.

But Kaida and Nila had little sympathy and Kaida said, "If you hadn't been so stubborn about the map then maybe you would have been here on time."

"The map did work!" John insisted, defending his guidebook as always. "We got here in the end!"

Kaida and Nila exchanged an exasperated look.

Chuck soon bounded into the room, pumping his arms furiously. He skidded to a halt in front of them and roared, "Urggh! Come on! We shall do battle! Who first?"

"First?" Kaida said, a little confused.

Nila stepped up to the designated white lines on the floor.

"I'll battle one on one with both of you!" Chuck declared. "Ooargh! Come on! Bring it!" He grabbed a Pokéball that dangled from his waist. "I choose you, Primeape!"

"Go, Sandslash!" Nila said, ordering forward her Pokémon. "Sandslash, use Sand Tomb!"

Sandslash slashed out its arms and stand poured out, whipping into a whirlpool. "Slash!"

Primeape used physical attacks, Nila had realised, so if she could impair its movement then it would be helpless. The sand and rock swirled from Sandslash to Primeape, trapping it. Nila ordered Sandslash to use Swift, hoping to hit it while it was trapped, but then Primeape came bursting out, landing a solid blow on Sandslash before it could fire its star shaped attack. Sandslash went flying backwards and landed heavily on the ground.

"Ahahaha!" Chuck roared. "My Primeape is tough! It can break free from anything!"

Nila bit her lip as she looked at Sandslash, who had got back to its feet only to face another blow from Primeape, who was using a rapid Fury Swipes attack to hit Sandslash ceaselessly. Sandslash tried to hit back with its sharp claws but it was difficult to land a blow with Primeape's constant barrage of attacks. Finally Primeape stopped and Sandslash used Slash in retaliation, causing a roar of pain to erupt from the larger Pokémon.

"Karate Chop!" Chuck boomed.

Sandslash dodged the attack in the nick of time and Primeape punched the floor with massive force, causing the room to shake. It then whirled on Sandslash again with Fury Swipes and Sandslash evaded the first few strikes, ducking and dodging at awesome speed, but then Primeape launched another Karate Chop and this time it struck true. Sandslash thudded to the floor and Primeape punched his fists victoriously into the air.

But it wasn't over yet. Sandslash staggered up and hit the celebrating Primeape with a powerful Swift attack, under Nila's instruction. Clearly going near Primeape was a terrible idea – its blows were fierce and had caused Sandslash enormous damage – but she did have one attack to hit it from afar. It didn't seem to be enough when Primeape shrugged off the attack and went charging towards Sandslash, ready to inflict more pain. Nila noted Sandslash was now right next to the wall and her eyes narrowed.

"Wait until the last minute, then dodge," she called out.

Sandslash stared Primeape down bravely and didn't chicken out. Chuck roared in delight as it dodged at the last second and Primeape went crashing into the wall.

"Your Pokémon has guts!" he shouted. "I like that! Now come on, Primeape, get back up and finish it!"

Primeape whirled around to face Sandslash's Slash attack again. Sandslash was rewarded with a roar of pain. Primeape looked _furious_, Nila thought, and Sandslash was amazingly brave to keep staring it in the face.

"Oh ho," Chuck cackled. "Come on, Primeape! Use Rage and keep on using it!"

Nila watched, in some horror, as Primeape erupted into a wild frenzy. Sandslash attempted to dodge it and retreat but this only made Primeape madder as it launched itself, fists flying furiously, at the smaller Pokémon. Sandslash's Slash attack seemed to mean nothing, glancing off Primeape ineffectually, as Primeape continued to use its Rage attack, roaring wildly and beating up Sandslash with everything it had. Sandslash had no chance, Nila thought, and it was rapidly on its way to fainting.

"That's enough!" she said sharply.

"Primeape! Off!" Chuck roared.

Primeape looked like it wasn't going to stop but Chuck roared at it again and it pulled away. Sandslash collapsed to the ground and Nila hurried towards her fainted Pokémon, checking it for injuries. When she was satisfied that it was going to be all right, she patted it on the head and returned it to its Pokéball. She nodded curtly at Chuck before leaving the white lined pitch.

"Who's up next?!" Chuck yelled with enthusiasm. "Come on, Kaida!"

Kaida, who had been watching with some trepidation as Sandslash had been thrashed by the Primeape, stepped up to the gym floor. Cyndaquil followed her but Kaida knew there was no way Cyndaquil could withstand that sort of battering. Chuck's Pokémon were amazingly strong and, while she thought Cyndaquil might be faster, she wasn't sure if she should change it. Her decision was sealed when Chuck sent out his next Pokémon. Poliwrath.

"Go, Gastly!"

Gastly burst from its Pokéball and instantly waggled its tongue. Poliwrath looked on with a serious expression on its round face. Then it disappeared.

"Oh ho," Chuck said. "Don't try that trick with me! I can sort out ghost Pokémon with no problems! Poliwrath, use Mind Reader!"

OK, Kaida thought, so it could find where Gastly was and direct its attacks there, but would it have any moves that would actually have an effect on Gastly? After all, fighting moves had no effect on the ghost type.

"Poliwrath, use Poison Jab!" Chuck ordered.

Well that was all right, Kaida thought, because Gastly had a high resistance to poison moves. However, when Poliwrath hit it, Gastly did seem to take a lot of damage. She blinked.

"Aha," Chuck said smugly. "Your Gastly may be quick but its defence is low! My Poliwrath is much more powerful! Come on Poliwrath, same combination!"

Gastly's speed wasn't its only attribute, however, and Kaida scowled at Chuck's arrogance. Shadow Punch would have little effect on a fighting type, but Gastly had plenty of other moves available.

"Use Confuse Ray!" she ordered.

The Confuse Ray hit but Poliwrath still landed its next attack.

"We have trained body and mind!" Chuck bellowed. "Ooargh! Come on Poliwrath! Shake it off!"

Poliwrath did miss its next attack but it shook off the confusion relatively quickly. Kaida frowned. It looked like she was going to have to try something else.

"Gastly, use Lick!"

Gastly zoomed in to use its attack but Poliwrath smacked it back with a Poison Jab. It always knew where Gastly was and this meant Gastly couldn't use its usual tricks. Kaida was hesitant to order Gastly to use Curse if it wouldn't be able to withstand Poliwrath's attacks. Still, she didn't think she had much other choice. She watched as the Curse shuddered through Poliwrath, but the Pokémon continued to attack relentlessly even as its health was sapped away. Gastly desperately tried to evade but the Mind Reader attack was making it impossible.

"Try another Lick!" she ordered. If Poliwrath was paralysed then Gastly would stand a chance. However, when Gastly finally landed a Lick attack, the paralysis effect failed to occur. Kaida cursed under her breath. What next?

Poliwrath was growing weaker by the minute, thanks to Curse, but so was Gastly because of Poliwrath's superior power. Another successful Poison Jab attack meant Gastly's health was depleted further. Poliwrath was weakening too but Gastly's health was lower and, finally, Poliwrath managed to finish it off. Kaida returned Gastly to its Pokéball. Great. Not only had she lost, but Nila had too, and this meant no medicine for Ampharos. What were they going to do now? She looked up to see Chuck celebrating with his Poliwrath. He slapped it enthusiastically on the back before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Why the long faces?!" Chuck demanded. He puffed out his chest. "There is no shame to be beaten by me."

"There would be less even shame if you weren't getting chubby," Miho said, walking up to him and pinching his sides. "Now, if the battling is over then I need some help in the kitchen."

She looked to Nila first, since she was nearest, but John, Reid, and Kaida were quick to disabuse her of any notion of Nila in the kitchen. Kaida had liked her tasty food and wanted it to remain edible.

"I'll help!" Reid said.

John nodded in agreement.

"Great," Milo said. "Double – no triple – portions for you boys! Come on!"

She led them off. Reid licked his lips at the thought of the delicious food and sped after her. John followed at a more leisurely pace, but he still looked enthused.

"No worries!" Chuck said to them. "You can get stronger and challenge me again! Of course, I'll be getting stronger too, no matter what Miho says!"

"It's not just that," Kaida told him.

They explained about the medicine man refusing to give them any secretpotion for Jasmine. Chuck looked troubled.

"This is a problem," he said, scratching his spiked brown hair. "I'd bring it to her but I can't leave at the moment!"

"Why's that?" Nila enquired.

"A secret mission!" Chuck said, his eyes alight with pride. "My family have had the honour of looking after Cianwood's sacred spot for generations! Since my brother is on holiday, though, I'm alone at the moment! I can't abandon the post! When he gets back then I'll be able to."

"When will that be?"

"A month! He's on holiday in Saffron City in Kanto! He was going to meet up with the fighting champion of Kanto and Johto, the Elite Four member, Bruce! Then they were going to see the Fighting Dojo leader Koichi!" Chuck pumped his fists in the air and looked like he couldn't imagine a greater honour. "I wanted to go but… I have responsibilities as gym leader! I can't be away for too long and he's already been gone five months!"

"But a month more," Kaida said miserably. "I don't think Ampharos can wait that long."

Cyndaquil nodded its head. Nila also looked annoyed, and this was also to do with the loss of her Flaaffy thanks to Reid. She did want it back at some point!

"I'll go speak to the medicine man tomorrow!" Chuck decided. "Meet me there at eleven o'clock sharp!" He frowned. "In fact, why don't you stay the night here? We have plenty of rooms and that means Miho can stuff you with breakfast too!" He patted Kaida. "You could do with some fattening up to grow tall and strong."

Kaida glared at him but he was oblivious, charging out of the room to seek his wife. Damn it! There was nothing wrong with being small! She directed her glare to Nila, who looked like she was about to laugh at Kaida's fury.

"Don't you dare," Kaida said to Nila.

Nila pulled a straight face. "Would I ever?"

"Yes," Kaida said, whirling around to leave. On second thought, she spun back and elbowed Nila in the stomach. _Then _she stormed out.


	38. Chapter 38: the stalker's stalker

**A/N: **It's official. Tam has no internet at uni. Chibi has freshers' flu. Sorry, but updates may slow down.

And keep forgetting to mention this, but we added a bit to the end of Chapter 5 and the beginning of Chapter 28. Nothing essential but older readers probably won't have seen it.

* * *

**38. The stalker's stalker**

"No."

"But how can these young warriors prove themselves if they do not have a mission?!" Chuck demanded, waving his hands about haphazardly. He almost knocked several items from the shelves and John was forced to duck to avoid a blow.

The medicine man rolled his eyes. "They can prove themselves with one of _your _missions then." With that, he slammed the door in their faces.

"I'll come back tomorrow!" Chuck said, punching the air. "Eventually we'll wear him down!"

"No you won't!" said the shopkeeper's muffled voice through the door.

"Never fear!" Chuck said obliviously, heedless to the grumblings of the medicine man. "Now, I must return to training! Argh!"

With that he charged off, his Machoke following him.

"Great," Nila said. "Just great."

They went to Cianwood's Pokémon Centre and used their machines to video call Rina and Flo to tell them the bad news. Flo's head filled the centre of the screen but Rina kept popping up behind her. Her purple hair was scraped into insanely high bunches and she had stuck several chopsticks through them. She kept grinning and pulling faces and doing rabbit ears behind her unaware companion.

"Yeah, we can go and tell her," Flo said.

In the background, Flo's Aunt roared, "FLORENCE! My collector chopsticks! They're _gone_!"

Rina bobbed down out of sight.

Flo squeaked. "Um, I have to go."

She scurried off and Rina sat in the chair, taking in place. She leaned forwards until her nose was almost touching the screen and they were greeted with a zoomed in view of her round, blue eyes.

"Hello!" she chirped.

"Stealing?" John said with a raised eyebrow.

"Flo's Aunt doesn't like us," Rina said happily.

They didn't even bother to ask why. They were sure that Marigold had a perfectly good reason.

"REID!"

A high pitched voice squealed and Reid's eyes popped open. Sure enough it was Lisa, charging towards him like a rampaging bull with her blonde bunches streaming behind her.

"Oh, Stud Muffin!" she said, pulling him forcefully into a tight embrace. "You don't answer your phone."

"It, er, ran out of battery," Reid lied. It had been fairly obvious who the new number had been, since she had called him about twenty times, so he had saved it to his contacts and made a mental note _never_ to answer calls from that number.

"Lisa Lisa is so happy to see you," she said, inhaling the scent from his neck. Reid started to squirm but she clung to him stubbornly.

"Muffins?" Rina asked from the screen. "You have muffins?"

Lisa blinked, her arms still secure around Reid's neck. Kaida sighed.

"No, Rina. There no muffins."

"Oh." Rina sulked, highly disappointed. Then she asked, "So who's this then?"

Lisa pulled back and said happily. "I'm Lisa Lisa. Are you another one of Reid's friends?"

"Uh, no," Reid said, coughing awkwardly. "Um, this is my girlfriend."

The transformation was almost instant. Lisa Lisa's eyes narrowed and her face scrunched up furiously. Her darkened expression looked like an angry storm personified as she glared at Reid and Rina in turn. The ditzy, smiling girl's expression turned wrathful and murderous. "_WHAT_?!"

"I am?" Rina said, looking confused. "Does that mean we have to kiss? I don't want to. I don't really get the point in kissing. Why would you want to swap salvia?" She shuddered.

"People kiss in your manga," Kaida said, remembering, with some pain, their last unfortunate chat about boys, girls, and yaoi.

"They aren't real. They don't have salvia," Rina said.

Lisa Lisa's dangerous expression turned confused and then she burst out laughing. "Oh. Lisa Lisa gets it. It's a joke. You two are friends. You're just teasing." She pinched Reid's cheeks, perhaps with more force than necessary. "You're so _funny_, Reid."

"Ow," Reid said, rubbing his cheeks. She had left crescent nail marks in his skin.

"Anyway," Lisa said. "I've been looking for you." Her eyes shone. "I'm so happy to have found you. I can't be whole without you. You are the sun to my moon, the sword to my scabbard, the honey to my hive…"

Reid looked like he might choke.

"…the Gallade to my Gardevoir!"

Reid coughed loudly. "Um, anyway," he interrupted.

"So brusque and to the point." Lisa swooned. "To complement Lisa Lisa's bright enthusiasm. The strong and silent type to listen and protect!"

Reid coughed again.

"Ah, yes," Lisa said, returning to the point. "I saw you had a Corsola."

Reid frowned, wondering where she was going with this. "Yes…"

Lisa's eyes were round and wide and she seized a Pokéball from her waist and released it. Appearing next to Reid's lazy Corsola came another Corsola. However, this one was different. Instead of the normal pink, it was blue.

"It's perfect!" Lisa cried. "Now Lisa Lisa has a special-coloured Corsola to match her beloved's Pokémon." She drifted into daydream. "With your pink girl Corsola, and my blue boy Corsola, we can raise a whole family of baby Corsola. And, one day, after we get married, we'll have our own family too…"

"We will?!" Reid squeaked, alarmed.

John, Kaida, and Nila watched in amusement. Kaida hadn't quite believed the stories but apparently they were true! There hadn't been one ounce of exaggeration about Lisa's flamboyant, simpering, and frankly pretty idiotic personality. She was besotted with Reid. It was _hilarious_. She glanced to the screen to see if Rina was enjoying the show but Rina had apparently grown bored and was reading her manga again, staring avidly at the pages.

Then John started to laugh. "Um, one problem," he said.

Lisa stopped, confused. She gave him an enquiring look.

"Yeah, your Corsola is a girl," he said.

"But, it's blue. It can't be," Lisa denied. "Blue for boy!"

"It doesn't work that way," John insisted. "That Corsola is definitely a girl."

Lisa's lip quivered. Her plan was ruined then.

"But it's OK," John said, ploughing on. "Reid's is a boy."

Hope sparked back onto Lisa's face.

"An unconventional love," Lisa said, with a heartfelt sigh. "Their colours switched, and bullied by the other Corsola, but Bluey and Pinky are brought together to make beautiful Corsola babies."

Bluey and Pinky? How original, Kaida and Nila thought, with raised eyebrows.

"Um," Reid stuttered.

"It's so perfect!" Lisa declared. She seized Reid's arm. "I'm so glad we'll be raising this family together."

There was a loud rumbling noise outside and they all jumped in shock. Then the doors of the Pokémon Centre flew open and in strode a tall, thin man. He had a pointed face, a curly moustache, and thick black hair. He was wearing a striped jumper and tight jeans and attacked to his arm was a strange metal device.

"Aha!" he yelled. "Zere eet is!"

He pointed the device at the blue Corsola and a net flung out, catching the Pokémon. Lisa shrieked in horror as the Corsola was reeled and, although the others rushed forwards, the man retreated through the door swiftly. They rushed after him only to see him mount a Fearow, which flapped its large wings and took off into the sigh.

"Hey!" Reid yelled. "Who do you think you are?!"

"I am Pokémon Hunter P," the man yelled back, pronouncing the 'P' as 'pay.' He continued, "I send you my zanks for zis valuable Pokémon!"

"Your _zanks_?!" John repeated, bewildered.

"Yes," the man shouted, now sounding mildly exasperated. "My zanks!"

"I think he's trying to say thanks," Kaida said helpfully.

Lisa was in tears. "Lisa Lisa's Pokémon!" Her dreams for the Corsola family were crumbling to pieces!

"Don't worry," John said gallantly, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. "We'll get it back." He grabbed one of his Pokéballs. "Hoothoot! Follow that Fearow!"

The rounded Pokémon bobbed and then took flight, flapping its stumpy wings furiously as it attempted to catch up.

Nurse Joy ran out behind them. "I called the police. If you'll just wait for the officers…"

"No time for that," John said, breaking into a run. "Come on!"

Reid returned his Corsola to its Pokéball and ran after John. Kaida, Nila, and Lisa followed, all moving south, weaving through the town. Back in the Pokémon Centre, Rina looked up and realised she was now alone. Where had they gone?

"Hmm," she said in a curious voice. Then she shrugged and went back to her manga.

In the pursuit for the blue Corsola and the Pokémon Hunter that had captured it, John and Reid were in the lead: John was aided by his long legs and Reid by his athletic training. Kaida and Nila were close behind and Lisa brought up the rear, slowing down to a jog due to her impractical clothes. She had soon lost them all and wandered miserably around the outskirts of Cianwood City. She sat down on a low wall and sighed. She'd lost her special Corsola and her love, but she had no doubt that Reid would return what had been stolen like the knight in shining armour he really was. She put her hands on her heart and sighed. Then someone grabbed her from behind, placing a hand over her mouth, and she let out a muffled scream.

Ahead, on the outskirts of the town, John and Reid were forced to stop as they had lost sight of Fearow. Their only hope now was that Hoothoot would return to show them where the Pokémon Hunter had disappeared to.

"What _is _a Pokémon Hunter anyway?" Reid asked, just as Kaida and Nila caught up.

"They catch Pokémon and sell them for profit," John informed him. "You know, like Team Rocket, except they normally are contracted by wealthy people to steal Pokémon. It doesn't matter whether the Pokémon belongs to someone else, they'll still take it."

Hoothoot returned at that moment, flapping desperately in the direction of the sea. They followed Hoothoot down to the shore and ran along the beach, the soft sand negatively affecting their ability to move quickly. Cyndaquil clung tightly to Kaida and Chikorita and Totodile hurried behind John and Nila as they raced along the shore in pursuit of John's flying Pokémon.

It took a while but they followed the curve of the island until they were out of sight of Cianwood City. They then reached another river mouth, smaller than the one near Cianwood's harbour, and Hoothoot flew towards it. The river interrupted the tall, rising cliffs and they attempted to climb across slippery rocks but soon it became an impossible task. The river wasn't moving into the sea quickly, but it would be foolish to attempt to swim, and there seemed to be no safe way of following the river inland. It had carved through the cliffs very precisely and there was little to climb on or cling onto. John looked to Nila, who was already on it. She released Seel into the river and they watched the large water Pokémon materialise and bob up and down in the water.

Unfortunately, Seel was extremely resistant to their plan. When Nila asked for it to carry them up the river, it shook its head and went to hide at the bottom of the water for a few minutes. Nila raised her eyebrows at John and then Kaida.

"Use a bit of psychology," Kaida urged.

Nila shrugged. It was worth a shot. Seel had to be one of the proudest Pokémon she had ever met and it obviously thought carrying humans was below it, with the way it had raised its nose in a snub to her request. When Seel bobbed back up again, Nila made a big show of turning away and acting casual.

"Well, since Seel here obviously does have the strength to carry us," she said, "we'll have to try something else."

A direct hit to the pride. Seel's round eyes narrowed.

"I mean, I don't know if it is afraid or whether it is too weak…" Nila continued.

She couldn't add anymore because Seel, seriously affronted, butted her from behind and she fell onto its back. Chikorita leapt onto her shoulder and Nila clung onto Seel's neck.

"See you guys in a minute then," Nila said, before Seel set off up the river, following the little flying blob that was Hoothoot.

It only took a minute for Nila to see where the Fearow had gone. Around little way up one of the cliffs – it was difficult to tell exactly how far up because she didn't know how high the tide was – there was a man made ledge and, behind it, a cave. Hoothoot hovered over it for a few seconds before heading back down the river towards John. Seel rose as high as it could and Chikorita jumped from Nila to the ledge. Nila grabbed the side of the wet cliff and almost slipped immediately, but Seel nudged her back into position and she managed to continue to climb. She used her hands and knees to haul herself over the edge of the cliff, and then she instructed Seel to go back for the others. When it looked mildly resentful, she used psychology again.

"Well, if it's too much…"

Seel dipped underwater and sped back to the shore. Nila waited a few minutes and Reid was the next to arrive and Nila lay on her front and stretched down, offering a hand to help to pull him up. Once Reid was on the ledge, they investigated the cave while they waited for Seel to come along with either Kaida or John. The dark entrance to the cave looked natural enough from the river but, when they stepped inside, they saw heavy metal doors blocking the rest of the cave. If the cave had been natural before, it had been shaped deliberately by man afterwards to provide some sort of base of operations.

"Guys?" came a queasy voice.

They rushed back to help to pull a green-faced Kaida up onto the ledge. She had returned Cyndaquil to its Pokéball for the journey, and released it as soon as they got back onto the ledge. It leapt into her arms, trying to provide comfort to its seasick trainer.

"I think the police are coming," Kaida said weakly. "John sent his Hoothoot off to lead them here."

"We can't wait for that," Reid objected. "As soon as John gets here, we're breaking in."

John arrived minutes later and Nila thanked Seel.

"Suppose you are quite tough," she allowed.

Seel puffed up with pride. Nila returned it to its Pokéball.

They started to investigate the metal door, and figure a way to blast through, when John tried to pull it open by gripping the very edge of the door. To his surprise, it opened. Apparently Pokémon Hunter P, or whatever he was called, hadn't bothered to lock it. They pulled the door open and entered. The tunnel had been carefully fashioned and the edges were rounded and smoothed. There were bright lights at equal intervals and they followed these lights along until the tunnel widened out and they stumbled across tiles, which covered the floor, ceiling, and walls. They entered a long room with a low ceiling, which was filled with all sorts of mechanical machinery, technology, and a fair few cages. Some of these cages contained Pokémon, which cried out pitifully for help.

They sneaked past a dismal Tyrogue, whose head rested on its little legs, an Aipom, who rattled the cage desperately with its large tail, and a wailing Azumarill. Kaida's hands clenched into fists when she saw a snivelling Vulpix curled up unhappily at the bottom of one cage. How dare this man treat a fire Pokémon in that way?! He needed to pay for what he had done…

They heard voices and, horribly, they were coming behind them. They ducked behind a pile of crates and watched as several men, dressed in black cargos and vest tops, entered the room, pulling behind them a thoroughly trussed up Lisa. She was blindfolded and her hands were tied behind her back. She kept stumbling but the tight grip of one of the men on her upper arm prevented her from falling. From the other side of the room, Pokémon Hunter P swept from another room. They shrank back further behind the crates to avoid being seen.

"Zis is _excellent_. 'Er father will pay good money to keep _'er_ alive," Hunter P said, clapping his hands together joyously. "And we kept ze façade of wanting zis Corsola." He laughed. "Well, I am sure _someone _will want eet. Eet is a rare colour after all."

"What _is _that accent?" John muttered, scratching his head in bemusement. "I can hardly understand him!"

Reid, Nila, and Kaida rolled their eyes. John was a bit clueless sometimes.

"We must leave," Hunter P announced.

"The police are going to take longer to get here," John muttered. "We have to stall then."

Before anyone could voice their opinion, John stood up, revealing himself to Pokémon Hunter P and his henchmen.

"An intruder!" Hunter P said.

The henchmen spun to face John, who put his hands up in a gesture of compliance. Reid, Nila, and Kaida scowled at him from below and began to crawl away to hide behind some other crates. Reid pointed to a large desk filled with buttons – presumably a control panel – and Kaida, as the smallest, began to make her way towards it, glad that the room was so cluttered so she had plenty of cover.

"What kind of name is Pokémon Hunter P anyway?" John asked.

The man he was addressing looked taken aback. "Well, my name is Pierre."

"Pierre," John mused. "It doesn't seem to fit."

Pokémon Hunter P – or Pierre – scowled and snapped. "It fits!" He coughed. "I mean, of course eet fits. My mama gave eet to me."

"Now," John said, "I think you're lying. Why would you give me your real name? It could help track you down. Pierre's not a common name in these parts."

Pierre, once again, looked shocked at the intruder's audacity.

While John started to blab about the etymology of first names, including the most popular one hundred names in the Johto region for the past fifty years, contrasting with the nearby region of Kanto, Nila found a large set of keys, which presumably opened the Pokémon cages. Reid, meanwhile, made his way behind the henchmen to free Lisa. They had left her sitting on a crate while they advanced on John. He pulled her blindfold off, put a hand over her mouth to quiet her, and then went to work on the bindings around her wrists. John continued to bore Hunter P into a relaxed, lulled state with a collection of more unusual names that were native to the Sevii Islands.

"Interesting," John droned, "there are two very popular spellings of the name Amy. With a 'y' or, if you like, with an 'ie', and these both feature on the top one hundred names, suggesting a very high popularity for that name in indeed. You can also spell it A-i-m-e-e as well, which has fallen short of the one hundred popular names list for a few years now…"

Kaida reached the control desk and poked her head up to look at the controls. Unfortunately they didn't have labels so she wasn't exactly sure which one to press. She lifted Cyndaquil up so it could take a look at well but, unsurprisingly, Cyndaquil knew less than her about the confusing technology.

Suddenly there was loud banging on the door.

"OPEN UP!"

Pierre and the henchmen snapped out of their drowsy state – induce by listening to John reel off useless facts – and looked around, confused.

"We locked the door," one of the henchmen said. "I don't know who it could be…?"

"POLICE, OPEN UP!"

Nila rolled her eyes. "Subtle as ever," she muttered scornfully. Great.

"Get ze Pokémon out!" Pierre cried. "To ze escape route!"

The henchmen turned around to grab Lisa only to see Reid standing their guiltily, with her severed wrist bindings in his hand. Lisa was now clutching onto him with fear in her wide eyes.

"You leetle…" Pierre trailed off, cheeks reddened with anger.

John shrugged. "I still don't think your name is Pierre."

Pierre rushed towards the control panel and saw Kaida there, fiddling with the buttons to try and figure out how to open the cave front door. As she hit buttons, lights flashed on and off and a pulley system began to operate to move the cages along.

"Turn that off!" Nila said, leaping to her feet to chase after the cages.

They were going along a conveyor belt that was leading into a hole in the wall. That couldn't be good. She reached the farthest one along and unlocked it, urging the Pokémon out. She turned to the next one but they were moving too quickly for her to unlock manually and it was only a matter of time before she missed one. Kaida flicked a few more switches and the conveyor belt shuddered to a halt.

"Step away!" Pierre ordered.

"Um," Kaida said. "No thanks."

Pierre grabbed a Pokéball and threw it. "Go, Smeargle!"

A pale coloured Pokémon with a green tipped tale burst out. Cyndaquil leapt forwards to face it, sending a Flamethrower in its direction.

"Smeargle, use Sketch."

Smeargle swished its tail but nothing seemed to happen. The flamethrower enveloped Smeargle and Kaida frowned. She had never heard of the move Sketch and she wasn't sure what it did. Smeargle emerged from the Flamethrower a little singed, but with minimal damage, and then, to her surprise, fired one back. Cyndaquil leapt out the way and the fire hit the console, sending sparks everywhere. Kaida threw herself to the floor. Smeargle then sent a Thunderbolt attack and Cyndaquil was sent blasting backwards. It slammed into a wall with some force and fell to the floor, unconscious.

Pierre, miraculously, did not immediately move to Kaida, and instead whipped a small remote out of his pocket and hit a few buttons. The conveyor belt started to move again and Nila swore loudly.

"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita fired a leaf that whizzed across the room to smack the controller from the Pokémon Hunter's hand. Kaida hit the green button on the fritzing console – it had stopped the conveyor belt before – and to her relief it still worked. She hit some other random buttons while she was at it, hoping these would open the door.

Reid, Lisa, and John were avoiding the henchmen, who seemed to prefer manpower to Pokémon as they chased them across the room. John kicked a crate in their way and one of the men fell over, but it wasn't enough to stop them. The men were older and, no matter how much she bit and scratched and squirmed, they were easily overpowered.

"HOLD STILL!"

Something that Kaida had done had clearly unlocked the heavy front door – or they had blasted it open themselves – because the police had burst in at that point.

"Retreat!" Pierre called.

The henchmen abandoned the children and followed Pierre into a side room. The police followed. Then there was the noise of engines and the officers cursing. A tale male officer, who bore an impressive moustache, led the way back into the room.

"They got away," he said gruffly, frowning. "And you lot… You're in trouble too! Running off like that!"

"You wouldn't have got here in time," John informed her.

The police officer glared at him and he decided it was best to be quiet.

They were taken back to Cianwood by a police boat and had to spend several boring hours at the police station before they were released. As soon as they got out, Lisa threw herself at her saviour – but it wasn't who they were expecting.

"Oh, John!" Lisa said. "You helped save Lisa Lisa."

John mouthed, "Help me!" She didn't seem like she was going to be letting go any time soon and she was cutting off his circulation. Reid only smirked and thought it was about time somebody felt his pain.

"And Reid," Lisa said, finally pulling back, with admiration in her eyes. She hugged him too. "Thank you."

"What are we?" Kaida grumbled. "Decorations?"

Nila glared at her and muttered, "Do you _want_ a hug?"

Kaida's eyes widened. Good point. She snapped her mouth shut. She did not want Lisa getting a crush on _her_. Kaida would run screaming for the hills if someone as annoying as Lisa started professing her love. Now, if it was Matt… She slipped into daydream land.

"It's just…" Lisa said, smiling widely and cutting through Kaida's thoughts. "So wonderful…"

Then she burst into tears.

They weren't just ordinary tears: she shook with the force of them and they rolled down her face like small flood. She was completely inconsolable. John and Reid exchanged a look of shock and terror. A crying girl. They weren't sure what to do. It was horrible! Reid awkwardly patted one shoulder and John gripped the other.

"It'll be OK?" Reid tried. He glanced at John over her head and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Um," John said awkwardly. "There, there."

"Lisa Lisa just finds it so tragic," Lisa wailed.

"Um, what is?" Reid asked. "You're OK. We're OK. Corsola is OK. Everything is good."

"But it isn't!" Lisa cried. "We can try to pretend it is, but nothing will ever be the same again!" She sniffed, her tears slowing but not ending. "We can't live this lie! We must confess!"

"Confess?" John repeated. He scratched his brown hair. "I'm confused…"

"Our love!" Lisa exploded. "The love triangle. Such a common, yet painful occurrence. How can it ever end happily? I'm trapped between you."

John and Reid shot each other bewildered looks. Nila and Kaida shot each other bewildered looks. Lisa put her hand on her head and gave a dramatic sigh.

"Lisa Lisa can't hold it in her any longer," Lisa said, turning to John. "I love you!"

Well that wasn't what any of them had expected.

"So you don't love me?" Reid said hopefully. Finally, freedom.

But Lisa spun and clutched his hands desperately, pulling him closer so their faces were inches apart and he could see into her large, watery eyes.

"Of course I do!" she declared. "And don't ever, for one second, think I don't! I love you both."

John choked.

"And our love… It will tear you two apart! Two best friends… Falling for the same, beautiful girl…" She looked out into the sunset and thought how beautiful it looked, with the sky of red and orange, to show the passion and love they all shared. She made another theatrical noise and grabbed Reid's right hand and John's left hand. "Lisa Lisa couldn't stand to break you apart."

"You're not breaking us apart," John said slowly. His expression clearly read: this girl is _insane_. Reid quite agreed.

"You're not," Reid affirmed.

"Don't try to lie to save my feelings," Lisa said. "Lisa Lisa knows! And she can't bear it! To break apart your strong bonds of friendship! I couldn't stand it!"

"You really aren't…" John said.

"That's why I must leave," Lisa interrupted.

"Leave?" Reid questioned, now interested.

"If Lisa Lisa stays then you might fall out! Lisa Lisa couldn't take that! So she must go and we must love each other from afar!"

"Afar," John said, nodding, quite liking the sound of that.

"But Lisa Lisa will miss you so much!" Lisa sniffled.

"We'll miss you too," Reid said in his most serious voice.

"So much," John deadpanned.

"But our friendship is _very _important," Reid continued.

Lisa let out a small sob. "But, if Lisa Lisa could she would stay."

"But you can't," Reid said quickly. Realising he may have sounded too eager, he added, "What a shame."

Lisa squeezed out more tears and pulled them both into a hug at the same time. She clung tightly and John and Reid shared the same alarmed look. Nila and Kaida both silently sniggered as they watched. It was like having a real life soap to watch, which was a thousand times more interesting.

"And," Lisa said, "Lisa Lisa should leave you this."

She pressed a Pokéball into Reid's hand.

"If Lisa Lisa cannot be with you then she would like our Corsola to be together," Lisa said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "She can't bear to have the reminder… She must move on!"

"Yes, move on," Reid said agreeably. "But, er, are you sure?"

Lisa nodded fervently and hugged him again. "Make lots of beautiful baby Corsola! They can still have a happy ending."

She pulled away and forcibly walked a few faces away from them before glancing back.

"Goodbye, my loves," she said, shuddering. Then she ran off, bursting into a fresh wave of tears.

They watched her leave, her long hair streaming behind her. Then John and Reid gave simultaneous sighs of relief.

"She's gone," Reid said. He looked to the sky. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"That was creepy," John said, clearly highly disturbed by Lisa's affections.

Kaida and Nila were still snickering so did not speak. Kaida only wished they had caught the incident on film. Reid and John's expressions of alarm, fear, and confusion had been _priceless. _She was going to treasure the memory forever.

"I can't believe she gave me this Corsola," Reid said, bemused. "It must be _really_ rare."

"Well it did seem like she'd do anything for you," John said casually. "Probably would have even got you a new bike if you asked."

Reid froze. "You think?"

John nodded and shrugged his broad shoulders. "Sure. Why not? Seems Daddy was rich if she was kidnapped by that Pokémon Hunter guy. Probably would."

Reid sprinted off, yelling, "Lisa! LISA!"

It was too late. She was gone. He returned sulkily and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm never going to get a new bike," he lamented.

"There, there," John said, patting his shoulder, mimicking what he had done to Lisa.

Reid continued to sulk.


	39. Chapter 39: John's bad day

**A/N  
**

Sorry for the long wait! Uni = hectic. The no internet problem will soon be solved though! Unfortunately making time for writing problem may not be solved... But we still have quite a few chapters in reserve. :)

This chapter is a bit weird and choppy... Hopefully you'll enjoy though. Please review us!

* * *

**39. John's bad day  
**

"So _that's _what Sketch does," Kaida said. "A permanent form of Mimic. Handy."

She had consulted her Pokédex to avoid getting what probably would have been a length, boring lecture if she had asked John. Cyndaquil was still a little upset that it had been knocked out by the Pokémon Hunter P's Smeargle and she was trying to comfort it and, at the same time, prepare it for a future battle with the Pokémon, in case they ever ran into 'Pierre' again.

Speaking of John…

"John's gone to tour the town," Nila reported as she walked back into their room at the Pokémon Centre's accommodation. She had an evil grin on her face, which was soon mirrored on Kaida's face.

"Excellent," Kaida said. Finally her revenge would be complete!

A floor down, John was leaving the rooms with his trusty guidebook pressed to his nose. He was determined that he _could _navigate the streets with it, no matter what anybody else had claimed to the contrary. It hadn't failed him before. Well, there had been that time on Route 32 with that strange shop… But apart from that, it had been one hundred percent reliable. Ish. No, no 'ish'… It was. Really.

He thought it was a good idea to try out some of Cianwood's beaches. He consulted his guidebook for the best one and it recommended a beach on the opposite side of the island, and even helpfully told of a shuttle bus that would take him there. John patted his guidebook gratefully. It knew everything! The others would regret not investing in such an essential purchase when he came back with tales of the most beautiful beach in Johto. He found the shuttle bus at the harbour, paid a small, inconsequential amount to get on, and took his seat. He was fortunate enough to sit by the window and so could watch the scenery flash by.

The bus couldn't go down to the beach – there were tall cliffs and only a small, zigzagging walkway to reach the bottom – so it stopped them just before the top of the cliffs, behind a small hill. The driver told them the buses would return them at the end of the day and John checked his watch to ensure he had the correct time. He got off the bus and tried to ignore an old woman who winked lasciviously at him. One man even patted his bum! John leapt away and glared at the man's back. It looked like he had the misfortune to visit the most beautiful beach in Cianwood with a bus full of perverts!

Nevertheless, he was determined to have a good time. With Totodile quacking at his side, John walked towards the top of the cliff and the path down. It was a bit chilly at the top of the cliff due to the strong winds so people were wrapped securely in towels. John poked his nose in his guidebook on the walk down and read about the history of the beaches of Cianwood. It was fascinating.

It was a nice day and, now out of the worst of the wind, the towels started to disappear as John neared the bottom. He still had his nose in his book, and was so wrapped up in the interesting points about permeable and impermeable rocks on the island, that when someone dashed by he thought they were naked. John snorted. It was probably a girl in one of those flimsy string bikinis which, while were pleasing to the eye, couldn't exactly provide much support…

John reached the bottom of the zigzag path that cut through the cliff and looked up.

He froze.

His mouth dropped.

_Everyone was naked_.

The guidebook fell from his nerveless hands to the floor. What on _earth_ was going on? There were hundreds of people walking around the most beautiful and celebrated beach in Cianwood – that had inspired dozens of top class artists – and they were all naked. This was _indecent_.

The man who had slapped his bum came up behind him and leered. John recoiled.

"Get your kit off then," he said.

"I… What…? You…" John spluttered. His expression was akin to a gormless Magikarp. "But…"

"Well it is a nudist beach," the man cackled, giving John a slow, predatory once over.

The woman who had winked at him now came up behind him and _pinched his bum_. John yelped in embarrassment and pulled away. He jabbed his guidebook.

"No, this is meant to the beach that inspired famous pieces of art like the _Gliding Gyarados_ and the _Beached Lanturn_," John insisted. "This is _not _a nudist beach."

The old woman, who had stripped completely out of her clothes and, to John's horror, was sliding very up close and personal, leaned over to look at his book.

"No," she said. "That beach is on the north coast of Cianwood. These coordinates and instructions are all wrong. Look. Someone's changed them." She chuckled. "Someone was having you on!"

John choked. He opened and closed his mouth several times and then brought his guidebook up to his face. This was impossible! On closer inspection, no, it wasn't. It was hard to tell, because whoever had changed the coordinates and instructions had done a _very_ good job, but the pages had been _glued in_. Someone had ripped out the old pages and replaced them with new ones! John felt faint. Someone had _desecrated _his guidebook!

"Well, while you're here," the woman said suggestively, whipping out some sunscreen. "Want to get my back?"

"I… Just… NO!" John half-shouted, speeding away from the pair of perverts and back to the path that led up the cliff. He had to get out of there! People were _naked_! This was obscene! Totodile ran behind him, cackling wildly.

He charged up to the top of the cliff and back to the car park where the shuttle bus had stopped. He was going to have to wait ages for the next bus back! He sat down on the ground, Totodile dancing around him, and pulled out his phone. He called Kaida.

"This was you wasn't it?!" he said, his voice embarrassingly high pitched. "You did this to me, to the _guidebook_! My poor guidebook!"

Kaida burst out laughing. "I told you I'd get revenge."

"Just _why, how_?" John stuttered. "My guidebook!"

He couldn't get over it. She had defiled his most sacred object.

"Why?" Kaida repeated. "Because you left me seasick on the floor to get food! How? Well, I just got Nila to type up something convincing after I did a little research…"

John thought he might be hyperventilating. He was finding it difficult to breathe.

"My _guidebook_!" he wailed.

He could practically hear Kaida rolling her eyes. "It serves you right," she told him.

"They're all naked!" he cried.

"Don't be such a prude," Kaida said. "There are loads of nudist beaches everywhere."

But John was beyond rational listening. "Naked! And perverts!"

"Not all nudists are perverts."

"Why would they be naked then?" John demanded. Yes, he was definitely hyperventilating. He had shooting pains in his chest. Naked people everywhere, a _destroyed_ guidebook. Kaida was one vengeful, angry girl.

"Such a prude," Kaida said again. "Anyway, we've got to go train. Ta!"

She hung up. John clutched his phone and tried to regulate his breathing. Oh _Suicune, Entei, Raikou. _Why had she done this to him, to the _guidebook_?!

When John returned finally to Cianwood, he was still in a state of mild shook, so he decided to go and soothe his nerves by getting dinner at a restaurant with a nice refreshing drink. He consulted his guidebook again and found a nice bar that looked like it would do. He through the winding streets of Cianwood and, when he drew nearer, he noted that there must be some kind of festival going on, because there seemed to be a lot of colourful banners everywhere. He hadn't heard anything about a celebration or parade though. He'd have to look it up.

The bar in question had dark tinted windows and, when he approached, a man standing outside the door raised his eyebrows.

"Eh," the smartly dressed man said, "I suppose better here than drinking on a street corner somewhere. Go on in."

A little bewildered by the man giving him invitation to enter – perhaps he was drunk – John went into the bar and thought it looked more like a pub than the sushi bar it had advertised itself as. He picked up a menu and didn't think there was much sushi on there at all, but settled for a glass of orange juice and some chips. He needed to soothe his nerves. All those naked people…

"You've not been here before," a voice said.

John turned to see a red haired boy who was perhaps a little older than him.

"No," John said, "I'm just visiting."

The boy raised his eyebrows and offered him a hand. "I'm Allan."

"John." John shook his hand. Then he said, "There isn't much sushi here."

Allan frowned. "Well there is a sushi bar a few streets over if you like…"

Wait a second, John thought. If the sushi bar was a few streets away then where was he? He took out his guidebook and inspected the pages. No, this one didn't seem to be torn out and replaced… Then he reached the coordinates, which referred to the large map of Cianwood a few pages along, and peeled away a sticker. Underneath, the real coordinates _did _point to a few streets away. So this meant he was…

"Let's get this night started then," said a voice through a mike on a darkened state. "It's karaoke night, as you all know, so let's get up here, boys, and make some noise!"

John gaped at the stage where a man dressed in the most flamboyant outfit imaginable – there was glitter literally _everywhere_ – was joined by a shorter man in leather bondage gear and a _whip_. A song started to play and John's mouth dropped at the explicit, dirty lyrics and, when he returned back to Allan, the boy had moved his stool millimetres away from John and was practically sat on top of him.

"Want to dance?" Allan purred.

John leapt off his stool so quickly that Allan actually ended up overbalancing falling on the floor. John offered him a hand up and then, filled with a rush of wild panic, thought better of it, and rushed out. A gay bar! They'd sent him to the most clichéd gay bar in existence on karaoke night! He just about reached the door when a hand clapped down on his shoulder and he came face to face with a man in hipster flairs and what could only be called a boob tube, minus the breasts.

"Leaving without a song?" the man said, tightening his grip. "We can't have that."

Images of himself on the stage made John flush bright red in mortification. He managed to yank himself from the man's grip and he raced to the door and exited. He kept running until he was several streets away and in front of the sushi bar. He had been moving so quickly that it took Totodile a moment to catch up, and Totodile normally ran circles around him. He picked up his phone and dialled Kaida again.

"A gay bar?!" he hissed. "What else have you done to my guidebook?!"

Kaida laughed, and John was certain there was pure _evil_ in that cackle. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she said, before hanging up.

John glared at his phone and resisted the temptation to smash it while imagining it was Kaida's face. No, that wouldn't do. He'd found the real sushi bar now. He could go in and have a nice, pleasant meal. Only, when he walked towards the restaurant, images of the naked old woman and the bondage man with the whip popped into his head. He turned back, resigned, and headed towards the Pokémon Centre. He really wasn't hungry anymore…

-

"Reid's looking at bike porn!"

When Nila returned back after fetching them some breakfast, she had not expected _that_ to come out of Kaida's mouth. In fact, she didn't _ever _expect that to come out of _anyone's _mouth. Concerned, and disturbed, Nila entered the room quite cautiously.

"He's gone mad," Kaida told her, waving her arms about. Next to her, Cyndaquil looked distressed.

Reid was sitting at the computers in the main room of the Pokémon Centre's accommodation for young trainers. While others sat on the sofa watching television, Reid was hunched over a computer and, when Nila drew closer, she saw he had windows and windows of bikes open.

"Look at that suspension," he said, practically drooling. "And that streamline saddle… And those handlebars!" He clicked the print button and, a few feet away, the printer started whirring.

Nila raised her eyebrows. Next to Reid were a couple of glossy magazines entitled _Rides Rated_ and _Behind the Bike Shed, _and beyond that was a newspaper, opened at page five, showing bicycle rentals. One in Cianwood was circled twice in black marker pen.

"It's so sexy," he said sighing. "Look at that long, proportioned shape… And those firm wheels… And look at that pump…" An alarm went off on Reid's watch and he leapt up. "No time to lose," he said. "_Tour de Kanto_ is on pay-per-view upstairs."

Kaida and Nila gathered up his things and closed off the computer. They took his bike stash up to his room and slowly and carefully opened his door. He was sat on his bed, cross legged, staring avidly at the screen. He didn't even notice their presence, so they put the magazine, print-offs, and newspaper down, and scurried out.

"What a _freak_," Kaida muttered.

"Are you _don't _have an obsession?" Nila said archly.

"That's different!" Kaida protested. "I don't watch fire Pokémon on pay-per-view! Or print pages of them off the internet."

Nila gave her a sceptical look.

"Well how else was I going to get pictures to put on my walls?!" Kaida demanded, flushing a little. She insisted, "I don't watch pay-per-view."

Nila just gave her a _look_.

Kaida wavered. Finally she burst out, "One time! It was one time!"

Nila snorted.

They amused themselves that day by training up near Chuck's gym with a few of his students as the man himself was on a long run around the island, thankfully with his Machoke in case he collapsed again. They also listened to John's first meltdown on the phone and, when they returned back to the rooms, they received another one.

They were in Reid's room when they received it. The cycling was over for the day so Reid had pulled himself away from the television and he seemed to have reverted to relative normality. He wasn't drooling over bicycle pictures, which was progress. They soon found out the reason for this: the next day heralded the beginning of Cianwood's annual food festival and the news of his other love, eating, had brightened him up.

Kaida took the short call and her grin widened to maniacal proportions. She hung up very quickly but the enormous grin remained.

"Mission complete," she said, only wishing she had photographic evidence.

"That's so mean," Reid said, but he was laughing. He'd had to suffer Lisa, after all, so really John deserved his share of revenge too… "He's such a prude!"

"I just wish I had pictures," Kaida said wistfully.

"Oh, you will," Nila said.

Kaida and Reid looked over at her, confused.

"Well, we pretty much bribed everyone in that place," Nila reminded her. "The doorman to let him in, the management to have karaoke night, and Allan to hit on him…" Allan was the son of the manager so it had been a stroke of luck meeting him and he had been instrumental in helping them orchestrate the revenge. "Then we even bribed that old couple at the beach! So, I took the liberty of bribing a few other people to get a few snaps."

Kaida rubbed her hands together gleefully. Excellent. They really could treasure this forever then. She was sure she'd be showing John's _grandchildren _the pictures.

"How did you bribe people?" Reid asked. "You don't have any money!"

"Well, not bribe, per say," Kaida explained. "We can be fairly convincing. They thought our plan to embarrass him was so funny they agreed to help."

"Except Allan," Nila pointed out.

"Except Allan," Kaida agreed, "who is actually bisexual and will be going on a date with our lovely friend Flo in the near future."

Reid blinked slowly. "Does Flo know about this?"

They both shook their head in unison.

"She'll like it," Kaida said confidently.

Nila nodded. "And, well, if she doesn't, then we can call it revenge for her Aunt's pie." Her face darkened at the thought of that traumatising memory. That had been foul. So disgusting and she hadn't even eaten any…

Reid eyed them both warily. "You two are scary."

-

It was the start of the annual food festival week in Cianwood – Reid maintained it was fate that he had arrived for such a prestigious event – and stalls of food lined the streets. There were signature dishes of Cianwood mixed with more exotic food samples. Nila steered clear of most of it, claiming the extravagant food made her feel sick, and she hid in her newly discovered milkshake bar. However, when Reid chose to participate in an eating contest that involved pizza, even Nila was interested. They all decided to sign up and were seated around a circular table with a strange revolving middle. The middle moved because the pizzas were plain and so there were various bowls in the middle devoted to all the toppings imaginable.

Reid, for once, was not using Snorlax, because there was a size restriction to the Pokémon partner. Sudowoodo was, equally, too large, so he was using his new, blue Corsola, who he had named Corey. Since his original, pink Corsola was about the slowest eater on the planet – it did everything slowly – Reid hadn't had much choice. However, Corey was surprisingly good at it, eating food with the high level of enthusiasm that it put into everything, which was, of course, a complete contrast to its pink counterpart.

In this contest the Pokémon were eating some special Pokéchow, since pizza generally wasn't good for them, so they were located around their own little table, separated from the human contestants. Corey the Corsola sat next to John's Hoothoot. On the other side of Corey was a Rattata, which constantly chomped its teeth together, regardless of whether it was actually eating. Then there was Chikorita, who was already turning its nose up at the thought of gorging itself (so evidently not a winning formula for Nila) and Cyndaquil in the space next to that, snuffling the air curiously and occasionally glancing back to Kaida, reassuring itself that Kaida was still there.

"And, begin!"

Reid immediately started to grab toppings to lavish his enormous pizza. John moved a little more slowly – he wanted to enjoy his meal, not be sick – and Kaida was a little more selective. Nila ate her pizza plain but, on her second slice, she did grudgingly add a few mushrooms. When the rotating middle to the table stopped with tomatoes in front of her, she glared at the person moving the table – a girl with round freckled cheeks – and spun the table forcefully so they went anyway.

At the Pokémon table, Cyndaquil and Chikorita were both doing quite badly because they actually liked to taste their food before it went down their throats. Hoothoot pecked away at a rapid rate but, by far, Corey outshone them all. It was easily the best Pokémon at the table as it devoured bowls and bowls of Pokéchow.

However, things weren't going as well for Reid, who had accidentally put some extremely spicey sauce on a few of his slices and, as you had to finish the whole pizza before you got a new one, he was forced to eat them. Tears sprung into his eyes but he ploughed on, resolving not to be defeated by his frankly fairly amateur mistake.

Almost an hour later and John looked sick. Kaida had given up after half an hour, patting her bloated stomach contently, but Nila was still nibbling. She hadn't actually eaten a lot, but the fact that she was still going was something. Chikorita, on the other hand, refused to eat another bite and, since Cyndaquil had dozed off, it didn't look like the girls were winning any prices. Kaida watched Cyndaquil fondly. All the food had made it sleepy. It was so cute.

A man with a large potbelly was beating Reid for number of slices of pizza consumed, even though Corey had eaten a lot more than the older man's Ekans. It would be a close one. The clock was ticking down to the one hour mark and Reid shovelled more pizza in his face in a desperate bid to catch up…

"Stop eating!"

They tallied up the scores and the man had eaten three more slices than Reid. However, they then went to see how many bowls of Pokéchow their Pokémon had managed to eat. Corsola had eaten one, two, three, _four_ more bowls than its competitor, Ekans.

"Reid and Corsola win!"

Reid stood up to accept his prize money, happy to add it to his bike fund, but he sat down almost immediately afterwards, clutching his stomach.

"Stuffed…" he moaned. "So full…"

The man who had lost out shot him a dirty look before leaving, sour at losing to a boy who now looked like he might be sick. Reid managed to stagger out of the door but they had to carry him back to the Pokémon Centre and, for someone so small, he was surprisingly heavy. Or maybe that was all the pizza…

"And," Reid groaned, as they dumped him on his bed, "we have the noodle contest tomorrow."

They all groaned.

John and Reid entered the food contest the next day but Kaida and Nila did not. Kaida was still full up from the previous day, and the thought of being even more bloated made her refused to participate in the noodle eating contest because she thought noodles looked slimy and disgusting. This baffled John to no end.

"But you eat spaghetti," he pointed out.

Nila shrugged. "It's different."

"No," John said, clutching his head with confusion. "They're practically the same thing!"

"Give up," Kaida ordered. She did _not _want to hear another food rant from Nila.

Reid had fully recovered a few hours after the pizza eating contest. In fact, he had woken up and decided to go and get a midnight snack of ice cream, which had revolted them all, except Nila, who had decided even being bloated couldn't keep her away from dairy products. Still, she had not eaten nearly the same amount as Reid, and they hadn't been forced to carry her home either.

A few minutes before the contest started, this one for humans only, Kaida and Nila settled themselves on the sidelines to watch a selection of their Pokémon. By a 'selection of Pokémon,' they meant, of course, the ones that were small enough and could be trusted to behave themselves. This counted out quite a few Pokémon, including Snorlax, Miltank, Totodile, Gastly, and Houndour. A few seconds before the contest started, another figure slipped into the room to watch. Kaida and Nila felt a mix of horror and amusement when they saw it was Lisa.

"I thought you were going to stay away," Kaida said to her as she sat down next to them.

Lisa was actually looking fairly miserable. Her bunches seemed lank, her eyes circled with blue, and her skin pale. She sniffed. "I tried," she told them pathetically. "They don't even have to know I'm here… I just… I had to see them." She sobbed.

Nila inched away from her along the bench. She hated crying people so much…

"Oh," Kaida said, a little awkwardly. They had made fun of Lisa but she did seem really upset. Kaida felt a little bad: Lisa might be a little over the top but Kaida knew what it was like to have a giant crush on someone. Admittedly, she hoped that she handled things with Matt better than Lisa, but still… Kaida glanced over at Nila and saw she was clearly alone in her sympathy. Nila was inching further and further away and wasn't being particularly subtle. There was over a metre between them now.

"I just…" Lisa made a loud sniffing sound again as the eating contest started.

"Wait a second," Kaida said, leaning closer. She squinted at Lisa's face. "Is that _make-up_?!"

Lisa recoiled. She tried to hide her face with her hands. "Er. No."

Kaida rolled her eyes, all empathy lost in an instant. "Right," she said sarcastically. "They don't have to see you looking miserable with pale foundation and blue eye shadow around your eyes _at all_."

Lisa blushed. "I was weak!" she cried. "I don't want them to think badly of me if they saw me."

Kaida sighed in exasperation as Lisa got some wipes out her bag to clean the make-up off. When she was done the girl looked a lot better, although her hair was still a little greasy. She'd probably purposely not washed it for the occasion though. She didn't think Lisa would go so far as to smear it with oil or anything… Actually, Kaida decided, on second thought, she probably had.

Lisa stared adoringly at John and Reid as they stuffed their faces with noodles.

"He's just so…" She focused on Reid. "_Gorgeous_."

Reid was bent over his bowl with noodles streaming from his mouth. His chin was damp from the liquid of the ramen and he had a little piece of meat on his nose. His eyes were scrunched up in the effort to eat and, as he did this, the ferocity meant that little bits of liquid sprayed onto the table cloth. Needless to say, it was not an attractive image. Kaida gave Lisa a disturbed look. Love really _did_ make you blind.

"But he's all…" Kaida began. Then she stopped. It was useless. There was no point trying to talk reason into _this_ madwoman.

"So _handsome_," Lisa said, now looking to John, who was trying to mop up sauce that had got onto his top. He was unsuccessful and just made the stain larger with his dabbing.

Kaida started to inch away. She hoped this love struck behaviour wasn't contagious. She tried to be a little more subtle than Nila in trying to escape from Lisa, but then Lisa starting muttering something about she was the Nidoqueen to their Nidoking, and they were dishes fit for the gods, and Kaida lost all pretence. She was getting out of there!

-

"Come on, Flareon," Kaida urged her Pokémon. "Just one little puff of fire."

Flareon watched Kaida blankly. Kaida, who was sitting next to her Pokémon, let herself fall so she lay on her back. She let out a huff of air. Flareon had evolved _ages_ ago, all the way back in Ecruteak City, yet it still hadn't performed a single fire move. She didn't know what else to do. How did her mother manage to teach those Pokémon – Pokémon she didn't even know – those moves so quickly? Kaida didn't want to resort to asking her mother to help her – she had to learn at some point – but she wasn't sure she had much choice. Nothing she was doing was working. What else was there?

"Do you need help?"

Kaida looked up to see a girl with long brown hair peering down at her. She was wearing quite a bizarre outfit, with a yellow shoulder bag, a red skirt, and a blue vest top and matching blue legwarmers. To top it off she was wearing a round white hat. It seemed vaguely Flo-esque, except perhaps not quite as bad. Kaida estimated the girl was in her late teens and she looked to be a Pokémon trainer of some sort, judging by the Pokéballs she carried.

"Unless you can teach my Flareon a fire move," Kaida said, a little annoyed that her sulking had been interrupted, "then, no."

The girl sat down next to her. She examined Flareon closely and then said, "You evolved your Eevee too early."

"I… Wait… What?" Kaida sat up so quickly that she gave herself a head rush. Once that was over, she stared at the other girl and tried to resist glaring.

"I can tell," the girl said. "This Flareon is very young. It still sees itself as an Eevee. I bet it tries to climb into small spaces and can't fit."

Kaida wanted to tell the girl to mind her own business but, when she thought back, she realised this was true. She had, on a few occasions, had to tug it out of places it had got stuck in. Several of those times had even been following Nila's Eevee.

"I haven't done it any damage have I?" she asked, concerned. She put a hand on Cyndaquil's back. Was she a terrible trainer?

The girl shook her head. "No, it'll be fine. It just needs a little more time to grow into its new body. That's all."

Kaida felt relief wash over her.

"I have an idea," the girl said. She reached to her belt and enlarged one of her Pokémon. She released the Pokémon and, with a flash of red light, a purple _blob_ – and that was the best way to describe it – appeared. It was a Ditto.

"Ditty, use Transform!" the girl ordered.

Ditto obligingly transformed into a perfect model of Flareon. Flareon looked a little confused but, with Kaida's reassurance, it reached forward and batted Ditto on the nose. Ditto returned the swipe.

"It would be better if we had an Eevee here too," the girl said thoughtfully. "But hopefully Flareon can see for itself how it is different."

Kaida nodded. She then called Nila and told her to get there with her Eevee as quickly as she could. Nila grumbled something about training hard but Kaida heard Reid in the background asking whether she wanted strawberry or vanilla.

"You're at the milkshake parlour, aren't you?" she accused.

"Me, no?" Nila denied.

"Liar," Kaida said. "Get up here now."

Nila gave an exaggerated sigh and acquiesced. Ten minutes later and her grumpy face appeared with Eevee by her side. As soon as the girl saw her, she ordered Ditto – Ditty – to transform into Eevee. It morphed smoothly and Flareon looked at it in even more surprise. Ditty transformed back and forth for the next few minutes and, Kaida thought, it looked like Flareon was finally getting the idea: it was certainly moving more gracefully, handling its weight better and, when Eevee and Ditty (in Eevee form) ran between Kaida's legs, Flareon did not attempt to follow, and instead went around.

"It'll figure it out," the girl told her. "It just needs a little more time. Be patient."

Kaida grumbled. Patience wasn't exactly her best known virtue. Nila seemed to recognise this too – she had a little knowing smirk – so Kaida trod on her foot in punishment for laughing at her.

"I'll be off then," the girl said, returning her Ditto.

"Thank you," Kaida said sincerely. Then, as the girl started to walk away, she called after her, "Uh, I don't even know your name."

The girl turned back and waved as she walked. "I'm Blue!"

It took a moment for Kaida and Nila to catch up. They exchanged looks.

"Wait…"

"…do you think?"

"_The _Blue?"

"Winner of the Kanto League last year? That Blue?"

"She did look familiar…"

They gaped.

"Wait, do you think she's going to be competing in this year's Silver League?!" Kaida exploded. "She's meant to be amazing!"

Nila swore. That about summed _that_ up.

They went back to training for a few more hours and then decided to go to the Pokémon gym to see if Chuck or any of his students were in. To be able to beat the fighting type, it made sense to learn by training alongside them. Plus, John and Reid had mentioned there was going to be a special nacho night, which had them all interested. Miho's cooking was delicious. However, when they got closer and closer to the gym, it became more and more apparent that something was wrong. Smoke was rising in swirling spirals from the building. Kaida and Nila picked up their pace. They could see John's tall figure in the distance, with his bulky backpack, and the smaller figure of Reid beside him. The students were all outside as well and Miho stood behind them. Then, suddenly, there was a loud _boom_ and a rush of fire, as the roof of the gym exploded, littering tiles everywhere, and flames roared out. There were startled shrieks but everyone had moved far enough away to be unharmed.

"Chuck!" Miho yelled, looking towards the burning building. "Chuck!"

"What's going on?" Kaida demanded as they reached John and Reid.

"Fire," Reid said needlessly. "I'm not sure…"

He looked to John, whose face was pale and drawn.

"CHUCK!" Miho shouted. She moved back towards the building but one of the students pulled her back.

"Water Pokémon?" Kaida said.

John shook his head. "It's too big! Totodile is in there with Chuck… There was a student trapped…"

Then, to great sighs of relief, the solid figure of Chuck came hurtling from the doorway, carrying a small child. Poliwrath and Totodile were right behind him and John, after seeing his Pokémon, sighed in relief, grabbing Totodile into a hug as soon as it reached him. Chuck, meanwhile, set the seemingly unharmed child on the floor and embraced his wife. In the distance, finally, they heard sirens and saw the distant spots that were approaching red fire engines.

"I need to go," Chuck told Miho.

She nodded determinedly.

"Wait, what?" John said.

Chuck, now looking horribly serious, said, "That fire was not an accident. I caught those men trying to steal something very important and I fought them. The fire was the consequence."

"What did they steal?" John persisted.

"A key," Chuck replied. Then he shook himself. "There's no time to explain."

"We'll come with you," John insisted.

Chuck looked at them gravely for a moment and then tipped his head back into a roaring laugh. "Such determination," he said, now sounding much more like his old self. "I like it. Well, by all means, if you can keep up!"

With one final kiss to his wife, Chuck turned around and charged off. John looked at the others – and they nodded back – and they all set off behind him.


	40. Chapter 40: the iron steel debate

**40. The iron steel debate  
**

Chuck moved at a rapid pace and easily outstripped them all. They ran behind him and Kaida took a moment to wish she had a Ponyta, because a Pokémon big enough to ride on would have been perfect for these sort of moments. They kept to the cliff top closely, progressing further and further north. Then Chuck diverted course, heading to the edge of the cliffs. They all watched in horror as he jumped off. They exchanged a look of confusion and jogged over to the edge, peering over tentatively. Chuck was there, standing on a small ledge below, looking up at them.

"Come on then!" he yelled. "Keep sharp!"

They jumped down and followed Chuck down stairs carved into the cliff. They had rocks shielding them from the sea and from view of the beach at most points although, sometimes, these rocks disappeared and Kaida's feet tingled as she looked at the sheer drop down to the shore. Her stomach lurched. She had never had any real fear of heights before but, when trying to run down a narrow flight of stairs with _that _drop, she found her heart pounding faster was quite justifiable. It was a dizzying drop and she tried not to look. It would only make things worse.

"This wasn't in my guidebook," John grumbled.

Chuck laughed. "Few people about this! Even if they did… it's a bit dangerous." He sounded delighted at the idea of danger. It was very unsettling.

It was, frankly, perilous, because the stairs were so narrow and uneven. The middles were worn and there was stray earth and rocks everywhere. At one point, when not protected by rocks, Kaida lost her footing but Nila, who was behind her, was quick to steady her. Kaida gave Nila a grateful look and returned the favour a second later when Nila's shoe slipped. Cyndaquil squeaked in fear and buried its face in Kaida's hair.

Once they finally reached the bottom, with only a few more averted tumbles, they emerged behind spiky rocks on the beach. The sea was drawing closer and closer, moving towards high tide, so they had to move quickly, which was always difficult on sand. Chuck took up the lead again and they trailed after him. They had already travelled quite a distance and, ahead, they saw they were nearing the northern point of the island, where the land curved, almost completely at right angles to the rest of the landline, and pointed out to sea. They approached the looming cliff wall of this land, hugging the cliff and making no attempt to follow the shore around it, which relieved Kaida, because the water was drawing closer and closer. Still, while the cliffs were not as sheer at this point, she did not know where they were going to go.

This was answered when Chuck ducked between a few crops of tall rocks and they followed, to find themselves moving into a narrow passage in the cliff. It was a short tunnel, sloping upwards dramatically into the land, and then they were in daylight again. They looked up to see, high above, was the top of the land that jutted out. They would be little specs to anyone standing up there and looking down.

"I know where we are," John said, as Chuck led them forward to another set of sandy stairs that led sharply upwards. "You're taking us to the Ruins of Suicune." He glanced around nervously. "Won't the tide fill this all up with water?"

Chuck patted him on the shoulder with so much force that John's knees buckled. "Have some faith," he said with a little too much cheer. "We'll be high enough up to miss that."

These stairs swept and curved and often disappeared into tunnels, so the pressing weight of the cliffs was above them. Reid, feeling slightly claustrophobic at these points, scratched his arms nervously. John, however, was in awe, with his mouth half open as they continued towards the ruins.

"The Ruins of Suicune," Kaida repeated. "The legendary beast?"

She hadn't heard of these ruins at all, which was quite strange.

"They aren't well known," John explained. "There's quite a bit of debate about whether Suicune even came here anyway. I mean, it was obviously some sort of shrine, but they aren't sure whether it was to Suicune."

"It was to Suicune originally," Chuck said. He laughed again. "I would know! My friend and I tried to capture it! We failed, of course." He shook his large head. "But, no, there is a lot more to that legend…"

John looked to him for an explanation but, as the tunnel they were in ended and they drew close to the top of the flight of stairs, Chuck put a finger over his mouth and indicated that they be quiet. They crept closer to the top and peered out.

In front of them was a temple which, oddly enough, had been built _into _the cliff. The front stuck out, with chipped arches holding up the crumbling roof, but there were heavy looking double doors built into what appeared to be the cliff face. There were no windows. There was also a wide area before the entrance to the temple, which looked like it had previously been tiled over, as there were a few stone slabs and even a scattering of what seemed to be a destroyed mosaic. But the ground had crumbled and weeds – and even a small, dead-looking tree – had broken through. Sitting on some of the upturned slabs were two men.

The men were both dark haired and well built and wore black combat trousers, a black vest, and heavy looking boots. They were passing a small, glinting object between them, about the size of a hand but circular in shape. Chuck's eyes narrowed and he honed in on the object. They were sitting sideways on so had not spotted them. Chuck gestured for them to stay put and sneaked out the tunnel, moving to the right so he could creep up behind them. As he did, the four watched one of the men bring the object close to his face to inspect it. The other laughed.

"Don't be stupid," the man who had laughed said. He was taller and had a fuzzy beard. "There's nothing special about it."

"Then why did the door only open with this?" the other shot back.

"OOARGH!" Chuck roared, finally within distance to launch himself at both of them. He clubbed their heads together and grabbed the small object, chucking it effortlessly to John, who stumbled to catch it awkwardly. As soon as John had it he inspected it. It was circular with spikes pointing out of it. When John turned the middle the spikes retracted. He pocketed it.

Chuck clubbed the men a few more times until one – the one who had laughed – wiggled free and grabbed the Pokéball from his belt. "Weezing! Use Explosion."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Chuck yelled. "Go, Poliwrath!"

Poliwrath exploded from the Pokéball at the same time as Weezing. Weezing screwed up his eyes – and Reid and John blanched – but nothing happened. Chuck roared with laughter.

"The damp ability," he boasted, clapping his Pokémon on the back. "No one explodes near _this_ Poliwrath! Now, Poliwrath, get them!"

Poliwrath launched itself at Weezing, pulling his heavy fist back for a Dynamic Punch. Weezing went flying backwards, only just recovering its wits and steadying itself before it crashed into one of the cliff walls, where Poliwrath was on it again. The other man reached for a Pokéball but Chuck tackled him down. The formerly laughing man looked like he might help out but, together, John and Reid grabbed him. They struggled for a moment until Nila and Kaida rolled their eyes and came to their assistance. Kaida gave him a kick knee in the groin and most of the fight went out of him. John and Reid winced but they didn't protest: this man had put them in the hospital before back in Ecruteak.

"Who are you?!" Chuck demanded, his face uncomfortably close to the captive man's. When the man did not reply, he shook him. "Tell me!"

"We're the Shadowkinds," the man said.

Chuck's weathered face frowned. "A Shadowkind?" he repeated dubiously. "What on _mighty Machoke_ is a Shadowkind?"

"We serve the Lord of the Shadowkinds!"

Chuck, to no one's surprise, did not deem this a satisfactory answer.

"Ow!" the man yelped as Chuck twisted his arm. "We are the Shadowkind," he repeated through gritted teeth. "We serve the Lord of the Shadowkinds…"

"Want me to kick him in the groin?" Kaida offered. The man she had taken down was still groaning.

Chuck gave a deep chuckle. "I've got this." He twisted even further and the man finally crackled. "Lord Smickle, Lord of the Shadowkind!"

Kaida had heard that name before. It took her a minute to connect the dots.

"Lord Smickle?" Kaida said. "Wait, _Morven Smickle_?!"

"That is not his name," the man denied.

Kaida ignored this. She thought the man was lying through his teeth. "What does he want?!"

But Chuck had had enough. "I know what they want," he said. "Let's tie these two up. We have to stop them."

John, as always, was on hand to provide them with whatever they needed. He drew a long length of rope from his bulging bag and Chuck skilfully tied the pair together around a rock. By the cliff wall, Poliwrath had knocked Weezing unconscious, so Chuck recalled the other man's Pokémon to its Pokéball and chucked it near the pair, but still far enough away that they couldn't reach it. He didn't want them getting free.

"Shall we call the police?" Nila asked.

"My wife will point them in this direction," Chuck assured her. "She knows where we're going. Come on."

Chuck held out his hand to John. John reached into his pocket and picked up the object that Chuck had thrown to him. At first John thought Chuck would head to the door of the temple, and this was some sort of key, but he was only half right. It _was _a key, but Chuck stepped up into the middle of the courtyard and they saw that some of the mosaics were intact. The depiction was of a clash between sea, sky, and land, with swirls of electricity, plumes of fire, and waves of water all crashing together.

"Suicune, Raikou, and Entei," John guessed.

In the middle of the mosaic was a small, round space and Chuck walked over and squatted, placing the key in it. He twiddled the middle, so the spikes shot out, and then turned it. Across the courtyard, the temple doors creaked open. John blinked.

"This place makes no sense," he said, almost sounding offended.

"It was forged by a legendary Pokémon," Chuck told them. "It doesn't have to." Chuck then looked down at the mosaic tablet. "Someone will need to stay here to make sure that isn't pulled out. If it is then we'll be stuck in there and we don't want that."

"I've got a solution to that," Reid said, reaching for his Pokéball. "Go, Snorlax!"

Snorlax materialised over the tablet. Nope, there was no way that anyone was moving that now.

Chuck roared with laughter. "Poliwrath," he said. "Stay up here and keep an eye on those men." He looked between them. "Someone is still gonna need to stay! Police are coming and those two might wake up…"

"Guess that's me then," Reid said, with an easy shrug.

John clapped him on the shoulder and then he followed Chuck to the open stone doors, into the heart of the temple. Kaida and Nila followed, readily accepting the torches that John handed out before they entered. Cyndaquil leapt from Kaida's shoulder to the ground and lit up his back. The flickering flames were comforting, Kaida thought. She'd always felt at home with fire.

"Could do with Flaaffy now," Nila muttered resentfully. John ignored her.

The first room inside the temple was washed with light from the outside It was filled with sand and dust and little else and, at first, they thought the walls were plain but, above the archway for the empty doorframe to the next room, there were a few small characters imprinted and John was excited to see it was the Unown. It was too high up and too small to read but this had to mean _something_. They walked through the doorframe into a long, bare tunnel and even Chikorita pressed closer to Nila, looking warily around it. Totodile, for once had quieted. There was something in the atmosphere of the temple that gave the feeling of unease to the Pokémon. Kaida thought she felt it too – it was vaguely ominous – but that could have just been nerves and anxiety about the way Cyndaquil was acting. Cyndaquil walked in front of her, almost protectively, and she had to be careful not to trip over the Pokémon, especially since its back was on fire.

"What's down here?" John asked Chuck quietly.

"I'd rather not say," Chuck said grimly. "How this _Lord Smickle_ found out, I might never know."

They all listened carefully. They heard distant dripping. It reminded Kaida of Slowpoke well, but quieter, and when she touched the wall it was damp. She certainly hoped there wasn't going to be another incident like in Azalea Town, because what Team Rocket had been doing there was sickening.

"Voices," John breathed.

They listened harder and realised he was right. Somewhere, in the distance, there was somebody talking. Chuck picked up the pace and they hurried after him, running down the tunnel as quickly as they could. Then, as the tunnel opened up into another room, Chuck skidded to a halt. John almost crashed into him from behind but he stopped just in time.

The room was large and spacious despite its low ceiling. There were pillars at equal angels around the room, holding up the ceiling, but apart from that it was empty, save right across the room, where there were three, small podiums. There were also three figures and the smallest of them, dressed in a black outfit and a fluttering, torn cape, reached out to the one on the left and removed an object. Kaida squinted to try and see what it was. It was quite far away. At the same time that the figures noticed them, and let out yells of surprise and anger, Kaida finally realised what it was.

It was a _wing_.

Not a real wing, of course, and it was difficult to tell what it was made of with so little light and the object in question being so far away. Also, in that instant, they were attacked, and Chuck threw himself in front of them, blocking the way. One of the men at the top sent down a Golbat, which performed Sonic Boom. Chuck shielded them from the worst of the blast, digging his heels into the ground in the effort to stay up.

The figure with the cape turned, and he was wearing an iron mask. It _was _Morven. Kaida narrowed her eyes as he tucked the shining wing into the folds of his clothes. What was that and what was he doing here?!

"Stop them coming past!" Chuck roared, thundering forwards. He released his Machoke and they sped towards the people, weathering another sonic boom. Kaida, Nila, and John spread out, blocking the tunnel, as Morven and his henchmen stepped forwards, the pair next to him wearing the same uniform as those outside.

"Get out of the way," Morven ordered to Chuck coldly.

"No way!" Kaida yelled, stepping forwards a few places. "You and your stupid iron mask… Strutting around… Stealing stuff!" She was in such a rage that she was becoming incapable of proper speech.

"Iron mask?!" Morven repeated, swinging his head to look at her. "It's not an iron mask!" His cold tone had slipped and he now sounded irritated. "It's _steel, _you imbecile."

Nila and John raised her eyebrows.

"Iron and steel," Kaida yelled. "It's the same thing!"

"Well, actually," John began.

Nila shook her head. "Not the time, John, not the time."

John shut up.

"It represents my mastery of steel type Pokémon," Morven boasted.

"Steel type will crumble under my fighting skills!" Chuck roared. "Come on Machoke! Take down that Golbat!"

Kaida briefly wondered why villainous people liked to have Golbat and then her thoughts were directed elsewhere as they were attacked. Morven released a Scizor and it slashed at Machoke. Chuck roared, encouraging his Pokémon, while the henchmen – the Shadowkinds – headed for them. Totodile blasted a Water Gun at the Golbat, but it hardly seemed to affect it, and it kept on coming.

"Try Ice Fang instead!" John instructed.

Totodile leapt at the Golbat, its teeth flashing, but Golbat batted it aside with its wings. Totodile launched itself at the Pokémon again and, this time, it was successful, and Golbat screeched with pain, causing everyone in the vicinity to wince.

The other henchmen has sent out a Magmar and Kaida didn't have time to revel in its fiery power before it sent a Lava Plume attack roaring in the direction of Chikorita and Cyndaquil. Both Pokémon dodge and Kaida had to leap back herself to avoid being hit.

"Chikorita, use Ancient Power!" Nila ordered.

As Chikorita sent the rocks flying towards Magmar, Totodile was being crushed by the surprisingly heavy Golbat. It flailed in distress at Golbat used Poison Fang and successfully poisoned its victim. Back with the Magmar, Cyndaquil leapt in to protect Chikorita from a powerful Fire Punch, which could have wiped the grass Pokémon out. Recognising the danger, Nila reached to her waist to return Chikorita and send out another Pokémon, when disaster struck.

Morven, whose Scizor was being battered by Chuck's Machoke, had grown desperate. He seized another Pokéball and released it, to a roar from Chuck.

"Go Steelix!"

"Everyone get _down_!" Chuck commanded.

The Steelix emerged, far too big for the room, crushing pillars with its enormous tail. Chikorita found itself trapped under part of Steelix's body and Nila had to quickly recall it to prevent further damage. She then ducked, hands protectively over her head, as part of the ceiling started to fall down. Kaida and Cyndaquil shelter by the wall and narrowly missed a chuck of rock coming free. Morven recalled the thrashing Steelix but the damage was done. It had materialised close to Chuck and the man had been struck by falling stone.

"Leave, now!" Morven yelled, running towards the tunnel with his Scizor, who batted John out the way when he tried to stand up to them. The henchmen recalled their Pokémon and followed.

"It's caving in," John yelled. "We have to get out!"

With broken pillars, the ceiling was cracking quickly. John raced over to Totodile to inspect his poisoned and groaning Pokémon before recalling it. Then they rushed to Chuck. Machoke was already there and it started to heave at the rock that had fallen on Chuck, throwing it aside. Machoke then pulled its trainer over its shoulder, hurrying for the exit, with Kaida, John, Nila, and Cyndaquil close behind. They heard cracks and more falling rock behind them and, when Nila glanced back, she saw the tunnel was now blocked behind them. They hadn't been a minute too soon.

They rushed along the tunnel, with loud rumbling coming from behind them, and into the first room. They pushed through the temple doors and daylight struck their faces like a physical blow, a bright contrast to the gloomy temple. They saw Snorlax was still in position but Reid was on the floor next to him, struggling back to his feet. The ropes on the two men had been slashed and they saw one of them stumble to his feet and run away. The other was too slow and Poliwrath caught him and knocked him out again.

Machoke put Chuck on the ground and, to their utmost relief, he was already coming too, blinking in some confusion.

"Ergh?!" he said.

John checked on Reid, who seemed to be fine, and then looked back at the temple. He put the hands on top of his head and his face filled with dismay. The historical temple! _Destroyed_! Morven had no respect for the past at all! The same had been true in Ecruteak, but fortunately nothing had been damaged! John scowled. He hoped Morven would pay dearly for this.

"How did they get away?" John asked. "The tide…"

"It's not up yet," Chuck said, sitting up, "but unless they have flying or water Pokémon then they'll have nowhere to go."

"They probably do," Kaida said resentfully. She'd lost the chance to punish Morven _again_. He was popping up in the oddest of places. What did he _want_?!

"We'll have to stay here for a few hours," Chuck told them. "Unless the police come to pick us up, that is. Is everyone all right."

"Fine," Reid said. The others nodded too.

"What was that thing?" Kaida asked.

Chuck stood up. "This is a _disaster_," he swore. "I am dishonoured! My family protect this place for generations and it gets stolen under my protection! I must avenge this!"

"But what _is _it?" Kaida pressed.

"This is a secret," Chuck said, inspecting all of them closely. "I do not need more people than necessary knowing about this trouble…"

They all nodded hastily.

"That," he declared, "was the Silver Wing."

John's mouth dropped. He looked completely demented.

"It's _real_," he said, in shock.

"Of course it is real," Chuck said loudly. "It was under my protection too! But I failed…" For a moment they were worried he would burst into tears but then, thankfully, he let out a roar of rage instead. "I'll hunt these people down!"

"The Silver Wing," Kaida repeated. "To summon _Lugia_?!"

Wait. Morven was going to get _Lugia_?!

Chuck nodded. "And control it," he said. "But Lugia can only be summoned in certain places, like the Burned Tower in Ecruteak City." He waved his arms. "I must go there!"

"Is that the only place?" John asked.

"No," Chuck admitted. "There are rumours about the Whirl Islands... It is meant to be anywhere that Lugia has roosted." He looked frustrated. "Well, I can't be in two places at once!"

Nila pulled out her phone and started to dial.

"Who are you calling?" she asked.

"Alex," Nila replied.

"Alex," Kaida repeated, wondering who she was talking about for a minute. "Wait, I-must-hunt-Team-Rocket, Alex?"

"Well since they're after the Wings too," Nila said reasonably, "he might be around Ecruteak City again. Last I heard he had met a dead end in Goldenrod."

"Wait, you _call _him?" Kaida said, baffled.

"We did see Team Rocket at the Miltank farm," Nila pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess," Kaida said, still feeling a little lost, because she hadn't seen that Team Rocket incident as a big deal. Clearly she had seen too much of Team Rocket to be unfazed about their appearances. Finally, she said, "You never said."

Someone finally picked up and Nila moved away, quickly summarising events for Alex, with no mention of the Silver Wing at all, only that they might be at Burned Tower again and they had stolen something. When she hung up she said, "He'll head up there but he might be too late."

"You should call Morty," John said. "He knows about Team Rocket attacking the towers. He'll go to protect the Burned Tower."

"Of course!" Chuck cried, looking revitalised by this idea. "Morty is a formidable opponent! He can deal with that location!"

They heard the sound of a helicopter and looked up to see one moving into the airspace above them. The courtyard was too small and precariously positioned to land in, however, so, after a minute, they heard a voice through a megaphone.

"Is everyone OK down there? Do you need aid?" the person asked.

"How are we meant to reply?" John wondered, thinking about sending up his Hoothoot with a written reply.

Before he could do this, Chuck cupped his hands around his mouth and, in a booming voice that had everyone skitter away and cover their ears, he yelled, "EVERYONE IS OK. WE WILL WAIT FOR THE TIDE TO GO DOWN."

The megaphone hissed horribly and then the voice said, "OK."

The helicopter turned around and flew off.

"Ow!" Nila protested. Her eardrums were ringing. He was a human foghorn!

"You must have a set of lungs on you," Reid said to Chuck, amazed.

Then Kaida said to Chuck, remembering an earlier conversation, "So you've seen Suicune?"

Chuck nodded. They all pestered him for information and he described the water legend as best he could and how it had been unfazed by his attempts.

"Have you seen Lugia?" Kaida asked eagerly.

Chuck shook his head.

"Any of the other dogs?" John demanded.

Chuck shook his head again. "No, Suicune is the only legend I've seen… So I guess I shouldn't call it a legend anymore! It's definitely real! I had bruises for weeks from that encounter!"

A couple of hours later they could finally leave and the police were waiting on the beach when they went back down the tunnel to the shore. Chuck was clutching the key to the doors so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. He led the discussion with the police while the paramedics checked everyone out.

"It was Chuck that got hit with rocks, not us," Nila said, thoroughly irritated by all the touching and poking. It worked: they turned from her to swarm around Cianwood's gym leader.

"You need to go to hospital!" one of the officers said, gaping at the large lump on Chuck's head.

"He's got a fractured wrist too," one of the paramedics decreed. "I'm sure of it."

"We need to hunt down those criminals!" Chuck insisted, shrugging them off. "Come on!" He waved his arms about and the paramedic scowled at him for exacerbating his wrist.

Later, after they had been checked out at Cianwood's tiny hospital and had been sent back to their accommodation, they gathered to discuss what to do next.

"Well Chuck won't be ready to fight us for ages," Kaida said. "He's got hospital treatment and bigger problems. So there is no way we can get that medicine."

"We can call Jasmine again in the morning," John said, running his hand over his forehead. "She's just going to have to come out here."

"She says no one can look after Ampharos but her," Reid reminded him.

"She's being ridiculous," Nila said. "If she didn't get a ridiculous cruise ship she could be there and back in a day. We need to go back. Maybe we can help Chuck."

They thought back to the days events.

"What kind of name is _Shadowkinds_, anyway?" Reid laughed. "That's so lame!"

"And Lord Smickle," John said.

They all cracked up.

"I don't get it," Kaida said. "He has his own mafia style organisation or something. We should go to Olivine and find him. We could look for Hirune."

"We had no luck last time," Nila said.

"We didn't look hard enough!" Kaida insisted. "Well, we should go back to Olivine anyway. Who knows what kinds of trouble Rina and Flo have caused without us…?"

They were agreed on that then. They would get a quicker ship back this time, so they could be there in a day with no overnight stay.

"We should tell Chuck first," John said the next morning. "Reid and I can go to the hospital. Why don't you take one last stab at getting that medicine?"

Kaida and Nila were doubtful but they went down to the shop anyway, expecting instant refusal. They did not expect the door to open and the shop keeper to shove a bag in their faces.

"Er, what?"

"Take it!" the man said. "It's the secretpotion."

"What about getting gym badges and not being strong enough to protect it?" Kaida asked, confused.

But Nila snatched the bag from the man. She wasn't going to let him take it back now. She glared at Kaida's questioning.

"Before I could ignore Chuck," the man said, seething. "He spent so much time training that he only bothered me once a day. But, now! He's hurt! His wife has banned him from training! He kept ringing from the hospital and he escaped from there today to come and bother me! I can't take much more of this! He's so loud…"

Kaida and Nila sniggered. The man glared and slammed the door in their faces. Nila checked the medicine. It was the correct one. She wrapped it up securely and put it in her bag. Finally they could go back to Olivine, heal Ampharos, and then she could have her Flaaffy back. Then they'd hunt for Morven.


	41. Chapter 41: alarms and compulsive liars

**41. Suicidal alarm clocks and compulsive liars.  
**

"I can't see any Team Rocket," Reid said, his head darting from side to side as they got off the boat in Olivine City. "You still have it, right?"

"Yes," Nila said wearily. She had been asked the question hundreds of times. "I still have it."

"Then we've been lucky," Reid said, twitching with paranoia. It was a great change from his usual laid back demeanour. His crush on Jasmine really was quite embarrassing. He continued, "What if they attack us in Olivine?!"

"Jasmine is meeting us at the harbour," Kaida reminded him. "See, she's there."

They saw Jasmine's brown head looking around anxiously as she waited for them. They hurried towards her. Chikorita sat on top of Nila's bag, where the secretpotion was stored, and, when a man bumped into Nila, it warded him off with a Razor Leaf attack. The man yelped and reeled away. Kaida gave him a fierce look and he hurried off.

"Jasmine," Reid said. "I got it!" At the looks of the others, he amended, "I mean, we got it. We should take it to Ampharos straight away."

A bright smile lit up Jasmine's face.

The climb up the Lighthouse was still as tiring and arduous as they remembered it. They were huffing for breath when they reached the top. Ampharos sat in the middle of the room, looking gloomier than before, and near to Ampharos sat Nila's Flaaffy.

"If that Flaaffy is ungrateful to see me," Nila muttered to Kaida, "then I will kill."

Reid and John backed away. Fortunately for them, Flaaffy seemed perfectly happy to be reunited with his trainer, quickly leading Nila off to show her what it had learnt under the tutelage of Jasmine. Jasmine, meanwhile, administered the potion to Ampharos and urged it back to sleep as the medicine started, slowly, to take effect.

"I, um," Jasmine began nervously. She looked quite sheepish. "I focused so much on, um, Charge and Discharge that it might, maybe, have forgotten Thundershock." Jasmine ducked her head as Nila's eyes narrowed.

"Well you can't remember everything," Nila said, patting Flaaffy on the head. She received a small electric shock and snatched her hand back. To Flaaffy, she said, "Though I'd rather you _didn't _do that." She looked back to Jasmine. "Flaaffy's not going to be supercharged _all _the time, right?"

Jasmine shook her head. Her feet were angled so the toes met, conveying her nervousness, despite the fact that they were all significantly younger than her.

"Thank you so much," Jasmine said to them all. "I'm so grateful. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Reid looked like he was going to demand something – perhaps a date – so Kaida helpfully stamped on his foot. He grimaced with pain and glared at her.

"We could battle," Nila suggested. "We need the gym badges."

But Jasmine looked at Ampharos anxiously. "It's… Amphy's still not better. Um, you could check back tomorrow?" She paused. "And may I keep your Flaaffy for a little while longer?"

Nila glared – mostly at Reid – but acquiesced. They trudged down the long flights of stairs and discussed where to go next.

"Well we have to go find Flo and Rina," John said.

"Do we _really_ have to?" Reid asked. Kaida and Nila nodded in agreement.

It had been quite peaceful without them. Well, excepting the fiasco with Grimer and Team Rocket and Pokémon Hunter P and Lisa Lisa and John's Cianwood adventure and Morven… But, apart from that, it had been very pleasant.

When they approached the house of Flo's Aunt, they found Flo and Rina sitting outside in the garden with their Pokémon scurrying around them. Wooper had fallen into a wheelbarrow and was flailing widely, Magikarp was skulking in a bathtub of water, and Weepinbell and Hoppip were nosing around a flower bed. Togepi sat on Flo, waving its arms around happily, while Psyduck sat, dazed and confused, next to them. Rina was between her slumbering Slowpoke, looking as zoned out as Psyduck. The last of the Pokémon, Grimer, was nowhere to be seen. Nila stepped forwards cautiously, looking from side to side with trepidation.

"Grime!"

Hurtling out of nowhere – with speed disproportionate to a Pokémon that was effectively a blob – Grimer made towards Nila. It had clearly missed her and thought it could spring a surprise hug on her to welcome her back. Nila leapt back and Grimer landed, with a splat, where she had been seconds before. In a flash she had whipped out a Pokéball and Houndour appeared.

"Flamethrower!"

Grimer was hit in the face with a hot burst of flames. It flopped down to the ground. It had been thwarted again. Nila breathed a sigh of relief and kept Houndour out, placing the Pokémon between strategically her and the stunned Grimer.

"Hi guys!" Flo said brightly. They all looked to her and took in her clothes, which consisted, in part, of metallic blue leggings underneath lacy fluorescent yellow leggings. It was revolting.

"What are you _wearing_?" Kaida demanded. She wondered why she continued to be shocked by Flo's appalling wardrobe choices.

"Oh, do you like it?" Flo said obviously, tapping her leg. "We went shopping while you were gone and got a lot of _great_ stuff."

"Really," Nila said flatly, in a tone that told everyone, except for Flo, that she highly doubted that.

Flo, again, was ignorant, and started to rattle off her purchases.

"So can we go inside?" Reid asked. "I'm hungry."

"Oh," Flo said, "we aren't allowed inside."

They all paused at her words.

"We've been banned from the house," Flo explained. She gestured to some empty plates, which all had faint smatterings of crumbs. "She feeds us and lets us in at night."

John's brow furrowed. "What _happened_?" he asked, bewildered. Then, as Flo opened her mouth, he changed his mind. "Actually, I don't want to know."

Flo shrugged her shoulders and went back to sunning herself. Rina reached behind her and groped for a small carton. On closer inspection it was a tub of margarine, which she scraped onto a knife and held out to Wally, her Slowpoke, who ate the offered food slowly.

"What are you doing?" Reid squeaked, shocked. "That's margarine!"

"Yes," Rina said guilelessly, scraping more off to give to Wonky. "And?"

"Pokémon aren't supposed to just eat margarine!" Reid said, his voice continuing to stay at a high pitch due to his confusion. "It's bad for them!"

"It's good for their joints," Rina said, sounding very knowledgeable.

"No!" Reid exclaimed. "They're not a car you have to oil! It's not good for their joints! It's bad for their hearts too!" Reid tugged at his hair at the thought of the abysmal care Rina took of her Pokémon. "How haven't they keeled over and _died_ by now?!"

Rina ignored him and scraped out another portion of margarine. Affronted, Reid grabbed the knife and the tub of margarine and threw them away from her. The margarine landed in a small shrub – plant and dirt falling inside – which meant it was no longer fit for human consumption. The knife disappeared in some longer grass. Rina squeaked in anger.

"That was helping their joints!" Rina protested.

They all gaped. Behind them, Wooper, popping up again, fell out of the wheelbarrow onto its head.

"You moron," John said, which summed it up quite succinctly.

"Your Miltank could do with some," Rina said.

John thought the last thing his Miltank needed was to get fatter.

"If it has looser joints then maybe it would move," Rina continued earnestly.

No, John thought, his Pokémon's problem was laziness. It appeared now it had been captured it wanted to make him its slave, to bring it food without any effort on the part of Miltank. He really had to do something about Miltank. He thought about the offer that had been made at the Miltank farm and decided that he needed to give Giles and Selby a call. He had tried, quite desperately, but nothing seemed to be working.

Nila insisted they went out to find some dinner because she didn't want to face Marigold's cooking. They couldn't return late, as they needed Marigold to let them in, but they managed to slope upstairs without eating any food, which relieved Nila and disappointed Reid. He didn't care what the mystery meat was: it had tasted good. The others weren't so keen.

They were woken up at five the next morning by a horrible screeching sound. At first Kaida thought it was an ordinary alarm but then she realised it was actually something singing, although it was more of a whiny shriek. She put her pillow over her ears and groaned, hoping it would shut up. Next to her, Nila's arm flailed out dangerously. Kaida even found herself wishing she was a boy: she was sure John and Reid did _not _have these problems in their room.

"_Lugia!_ What is that?" Kaida asked hoarsely, her eyes still scrunched shut.

"Oh," Rina said, sounding far too perky for the insane hour of the morning that it was. "That's my new alarm clock."

Kaida opened her eyes. Rina was sitting cross-legged next to a strange bobbing alarm clock. It was unmistakably the head of a Slowpoke, moving lazily up and down as the strange shrieking persisted.

"And that was track one of our hour of this outstanding up and comer in the music world…" the radio droned. Short minutes later and the shriek was back, now in a louder, more energetic song.

"Make it stop!" Nila snarled.

Kaida looked over to see Nila had one eye open. She looked positively feral and Kaida was slightly surprised she wasn't foaming at the mouth. Rina merely cocked her head to one side and poked the side of the alarm clock ineffectively. Kaida glanced back to Nila. The dark haired girl had gritted her teeth together and narrowed her eyes. It would be a bloodbath, Kaida thought quite suddenly, and she did not want to get in the middle of it. Grabbing a sleepy Cyndaquil, who snuffled adorably, she edged away. She noticed Chikorita was awake but looked relatively unfazed. Chikorita was clearly used to its trainer's fury and was unfazed by it, even if the rest of them weren't.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true, Kaida thought, as they heard a small snore from the bed. Flo, somehow, had managed to sleep through the ear-splitting _horror _of the sound emitting from the alarm clock. She let out a snort when Nila climbed to her feet but remained asleep. Rina, who Kaida privately thought should run for the hills, poked her alarm clock again.

"I can't get it to stop," she said.

Nila's face darkened and she walked over and seized the alarm clock. Drawing her arm back swiftly, she threw it at the wall with resounding force. The alarm clock smacked into the wall and fell into the ground. Flo snorted again but still did not stir. The horrendous noise was _still _coming from the alarm clock radio and, to Kaida's amazement, the alarm clock was still in tact. Nila's jaw tightened and she seized the alarm clock again.

"Hey!" Rina protested. "Where are you going with that?"

She scrambled to her feet and followed Nila out of the room. Kaida was wary but, ultimately, a little curious, so she cuddled the sleepy Cyndaquil to her chest and trailed after them. Nila stomped up the hall and into the bathroom, where she jerked the taps to the bath violently. Water gushed out and Nila chucked the alarm clock in.

"My Slowpoke!" Rina cried, her round eyes widening to new, vast proportions.

Rina tried to grab the alarm clock but Nila grabbed her wrists and prevented her from retrieving it. Rina squirmed around but Nila's grip was vice-like as she watched the wailing alarm clock gradually become submerged under water. Still, miraculously, the singing was continuing. How had it survived?! Then, thankfully, it finally squeaked and stopped. Nila, eyes hooded and sleepy, let go of Rina's wrists and marched back down the hall into the bedroom, where she presumably would return to sleep. Rina, meanwhile, fished out the alarm clock and looked at it mournfully, her eyes still wide and childish as she stared at the ruined alarm clock. She tapped the side gently.

"_OOH, BABY, I WANT YOU TO STAY FOREVER! WE CAN SING TOGETHER! Ooo-Oooh."_

"Aack!" Kaida yelped. The wailing was back. How was this even possible? Was that alarm clock made of some water repelling miracle material? But it had stopped! And now it was back!

There was a muted roar – from a face pressed angrily into a pillow – and Nila stormed back down the hall and seized the alarm clock from Rina's hands. This was made difficult as Rina clung on determinedly but Nila eventually pried it free and made her way to the window, which she pushed open. Drawing it back, Nila threw the alarm clock with all her might. It flew past the garden and onto the road, a considerably distance away, where it smacked down with force. However, if Kaida listened carefully, she thought she could still hear the faint sound of the horrific song. Singing together forever… That would be in Kaida's nightmares now.

"Slowpoke!" Rina said, looking to be on the verge of tears.

Nila was unsympathetic. She glared at Rina, huffed grumpily, and went back to bed with a firm, "Don't you _dare_ disturb me again."

Rina turned unhappily to Kaida but Kaida shied away. There was no way she was going to express any compassion for Rina – especially when she had none – for fear of further inciting the wrath of Nila. You did _not _interrupt her sleep. Ever.

"Ah well," Rina said, perking up a little. "I can always buy another one."

Now Kaida was the one who felt rage filling her at the remembrance of the awful singing. "Don't you dare," she hissed, putting her hands over Cyndaquil's ears to check that her poor Pokémon hadn't been traumatised by the noise. Once she had ascertained that Cyndaquil was all right, she gave Rina a warning look and went back to bed. Sleep. So nice…

Nila fell back to sleep for another hour before she got up to make herself breakfast. After all, she was hoping to battle Jasmine, leader of Olivine City's gym, and she wanted to be up early to prepare for the battle. She knew Jasmine used the steel type but was unsure what her Pokémon were. She had heard rumours of a Steelix and couldn't help but feel a little concerned. Steelix, no matter its experience, held a great advantage with its sheer size. It could easily knock a Pokémon out by squashing them and Nila's Pokémon all were tiny in comparison to the steel giant.

Happily, when they reached the gym, they found Jasmine waiting inside with Flaaffy standing next to her. The gym was plain, with an array of rocks circling the pitch, but little else. The gym was vast and the ceiling high, which they thought must be necessary to house such an enormous Pokémon. Jasmine approached them – her arms folded protectively across her chest – and explained that her assistant was looking at Ampharos now that it was feeling a little better.

"I have to be back soon though," Jasmine said, "so I really can only battle one person today."

Nila patted Flaaffy on the head as the Pokémon returned to her side. She was relieved not to be electrocuted again. Apparently the Pokémon had managed to tone down its static.

The match was to be a two on two and everyone except Nila and Jasmine took their places by the door, where they could duck outside if necessary.

"Um, so, two on two?"

"Sure," Nila replied, her hand drifting to her belt where her Pokéballs were attached.

"Er, I choose you, Magnemite!" Jasmine said, sending out the small, sparking electric-steel hybrid. It spun around in a tight circle and electricity sparked along it.

"Go, Sandslash!"

The spiked Pokémon made wide, sweeping slashing motions as it was released from its Pokéball. Magnemite sparked but Sandslash looked back, unafraid. As a ground type, it was immune to electrical attacks.

"Magnemite," Jasmine cried, sounding more confident than she ever had previously. "Use Supersonic!"

Confusing rays shot from Magnemite but Sandslash skidded to on side. The rays hit the ground beside it and Sandslash sent back a Swift attack, which sped towards Magnemite. However, the stars bounced off Magnemite's steel exterior rather ineffectively.

"Sandslash," Nila ordered. "Stop that. Use Sand Tomb!"

Sandslash swelled up and the storm of sand exploded outwards, expanding and wrapping around Magnemite. It was highly effective and Nila watched in some satisfaction as Magnemite struggled against the storm.

"Magnemite," Jasmine called. "Use Sonic Boom! Spin it around your body!"

Magnemite, in the midst of the entrapping Sand Tomb attack, started to spin, sending out multiple Sonic Boom attacks. The Sand Tomb began to dissipate and, eventually, Magnemite spun free, despite Sandslash's efforts to trap it in a second Sand Tomb attack. It fired a Sonic Boom at Sandslash, who leapt backwards again in the nick of time. It whipped up another Sand Tomb but Magnemite spun with Sonic Boom and, while it took damage, it spun quickly free. They had arrived at an impasse. Nila met Jasmine's gaze and saw the shy gym leader had transformed to something fearsome in battle.

"Sandslash, return," she said, clutching the Pokéball tightly. "Go, Houndour!"

Houndour burst from the Pokéball and bared its teeth. Magnemite reacted in an instant, using Thunder Wave to try and paralyse its foe. Houndour avoided it, with quick reflexes, but, in the next instant, tripped over its own paws, which meant it was struck by a powerful Thunderbolt.

It was back on its feet rapidly and it sent a roaring Flamethrower at Magnemite. It was super effective and Magnemite spun around weakly, trying to get out of the powerful flames. Metal clinked as it zoomed backwards, away from the fire, and sent a haphazard Sonic Boom. The attack missed and Houndour leapt forwards again, jumping at Magnemite for a Fire Fang. Magnemite, however, had recuperated, and spun out of the way, causing Houndour to miss and land awkwardly. It sprawled across the ground and was hit from behind by another Sonic Boom.

"Keep going for Flamethrower!" Nila ordered. Physical attacks were not working thanks to Houndour's lack of coordination.

Sonic Boom successfully dispersed Houndour's next strike with Flamethrower but Houndour struck again with another blast of the fire. Magnemite looked slightly charred –and weakened – and Nila hoped Houndour could continue. She would need it against Jasmine's next Pokémon, which she expected to be a powerful Steelix. Magnemite was a newer, younger Pokémon, and was definitely not one of Jasmine's best. It was talented, thanks to its trainer, but it didn't have the toughness to match that talent yet. It took another strong hit by Flamethrower and Magnemite fell. Jasmine rushed to her Pokémon and cradled it briefly before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Now," Jasmine said, plucking another Pokéball and throwing it high into the air. "I choose Steelix!"

Houndour leapt backwards as a towering Pokémon emerged from Jasmine's Pokéball. Steelix loomed over the tiny Houndour with a large grin on its enormous face. Nila narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth – Houndour did the same – but they were interrupted by a shrill shriek.

"Oh my _Blooming Bellsprout_!" Flo screamed from the doorway. "It's _hideous_!"

Steelix turned its head to her and Flo sped out the door. Nila and Jasmine, both as equally perturbed and distracted by the behaviour as the others by the door, blinked several times.

"Um," Jasmine said, her confidence seeming to fly straight out the window. "I know Steelix looks, er, um, a little intimidating. I've, um, had reactions like this before… But…"

Nila rolled her brown eyes. "Flo's an idiot. Let's get back to battling."

Jasmine recomposed herself and the hard glint returned to her eyes.

"Steelix, use Rock Throw!"

Houndour dodged the boulders reasonably effectively. The fire Pokémon skidded across the pitch, narrowly avoiding boulders easily twice its size. It tripped over its own paws again but, this time, it was too its advantage. As it fell a boulder tumbled right over it, missing it by inches.

"Use Screech, Steelix," Jasmine ordered.

A horrific sound emitted from Steelix's mouth and everyone in the room winced, save Steelix and Jasmine. Unfortunately, this included Houndour, who was vulnerable when Steelix used its distraction to use Rock Throw again and, this time, Houndour was successfully struck by one of the large rocks. It was thrown backwards several metres. It moaned, quite pitifully, but dragged itself to its feet.

"Iron Tail!"

Houndour leapt out of the way as Steelix's heavy tail came lashing towards it. It dodged to the side once, twice, as Steelix continued to thud its tail on the ground, causing the floor to shake every time it missed. Finally Steelix succeeded, feinting a blow and watching Houndour carefully. Its tail smashed down into Houndour's next position. It wouldn't have been too effective if not from the power gathered from Steelix's sheer size. The tail came down again but Houndour used Flamethrower to protect itself. Steelix was slowed down by the hot lick of flames and Houndour rolled to the side in the nick of time. It was still badly hurt.

Houndour sent another Flamethrower at Steelix but Steelix plunged to the door to avoid it, using Dig. It burrowed under the dirt of the gym floor and Houndour looked around wildly.

"Keep moving, Houndour," Nila instructed. She hoped its accuracy would be reduced. It couldn't see where Houndour was.

Steelix burst through the floor right underneath Houndour, sending the Pokémon flying through the air. Of course, Nila realised. She was an idiot. Steelix could feel Houndour moving. The slight vibrations would make an impact underground and Steelix would be trained to pick up such tremors.

Houndour had landed across the room and pulled itself to its feet weakly. A second later, Steelix's tail came smashing down and Houndour leapt out the way, landing oddly and rolling several metres head over heels. Steelix dove back into the ground again and Houndour staggered forwards a few paces before Nila ordered her Pokémon to stop moving. When first entering the ground, she doubted Steelix could fully notice the vibrations of movement because it was causing such disturbance itself. So if Houndour stayed perfectly still…

Steelix smashed out of the ground several metres away from Houndour, who was quick to deliver a Flamethrower to the Pokémon's face. Steelix, half in and out of the ground, writhed in pain and, with its powerful tail underground, sent the earth shaking. Houndour was thrown backwards as Steelix whipped its tail out underneath it. This time Houndour did not get up again.

Nila returned Houndour and grabbed Sandslash's Pokéball. She released the Pokémon and watched as Sandslash moved forwards to confront the giant Pokémon before it. Its moves were fairly ineffective, with the exception of Sand Tomb, so she ordered it to perform that attack. It took more power than usual to whip such a large sand attack to consume Steelix but it seemed to be working. Or, at least, it worked until Steelix used Dig to escape the attack, burrowing down into the ground. It re-emerged through one of its previous holes and stuck its grinning face down over Sandslash. Its tail lashed out and Sandslash was struck heavily by Iron Tail. Sandslash was swept to one side and into the wall, where it wailed weakly. It soon recovered to trap Steelix again but Steelix escaped once more underground, this time emerging underneath Sandslash. Sandslash did manage to fire a Swift in midair but the attack did little to Steelix. Steelix swiped out again with its trail and Sandslash hit the ground with considerable force. It struggled to its feet, swayed, and fell back down.

Nila returned her Pokémon and looked to Jasmine, who was patting a stooping Steelix on its large, hard head.

"Um, good match," Jasmine said, returning to her shy self now the battle was over. "We can… We can fight again another time." Her head ducked. "I'm not sure how to say this but… You should beat Chuck first." Her eyes fell on Kaida. "Both of you."

Kaida thought she could work more effectively than Nila had – she had more than one powerful fire Pokémon to melt that steel away – but Steelix's power was still immense and perhaps she did need a little more training.

"I, er, have to, um, go back to Amphy," Jasmine said, after returning Steelix to its Pokéball. "So… good luck?"

"Thanks," Reid said, despite the fact that she hadn't been referring to him.

Jasmine scurried past them out of the gym. She waited for them to leave so she could lock up and then she hurried to the lighthouse. As she went off, Flo came stomping back towards them. In her hand was a hideously fluffy notebook and, as well, a matching pen with a strange glittery ball on the top. She stopped and scribbled frantically in it.

"Sparkles," Rina said, batting the ball on top of the pen.

Flo pulled the pen and notebook out of Rina's reach and declared, "This is my ugly list."

She opened the book to show them the word Steelix, underlined several times, with a crudely drawn picture underneath. The picture emphasised Steelix's large, creepy grin.

"This is definitely going in my top ten," she told them.

She flicked through a few more pages and they saw a list of other Pokémon that Flo found "ugly" rather than Steelix's "hideous" label. The list included Houndour.

"Houndour is cute," Nila said.

"It is all skulls and bones," Flo said with a shudder. "Besides, this is my list! If I say it is ugly, then it's ugly. Sandslash is pretty ugly too!" She jotted the name down after Magikarp. "One day," she claimed, "I will get all of these Pokémon _banned_."

John's face was in the increasingly familiar expression that showed he despaired for the intelligence of humanity. "How can you _ban _ugly Pokémon?!"

Flo muttered something about beauty pageants and regulations before telling him to shut up and mind his own business. As an after thought, she added Miltank to the ugly list.

"Hey, Miltank has a problem," John insisted. "It isn't Miltank's fault it is fat."

"Yes," Reid said, "it is."

John glared at Reid.

"What?!" Reid protested. "It wouldn't be fat if it got off its arse and did some exercise!"

"It would be ugly anyway," Flo said decisively.

"You should be glad Miltank didn't hear that," Kaida muttered. It had to be frustrating for John to have a Pokémon that refused to move, but Kaida, frankly, preferred it that way. It had tried to squash her in a murderous rage after Rina had called it fat. Who knew how a mobile Miltank would react to being called ugly?

"Anyway, I'm going to sort Miltank out," John stated. "I need to go back to the Miltank farm for some help."

"Fat camp," Reid said gleefully.

"I called him last night," John explained. "He said he's running a fat camp in a few days for troubled, lazy Pokémon, or those which need to shed a few pounds. He's invited me."

"And I should go too," Reid said, thinking of Snorlax.

"I mean, I have two Pokémon that don't move," John said, thinking of Dunsparce and Miltank. At least Dunsparce would attack other Pokémon though, which he couldn't say about Miltank.

"I don't know what we're gonna do," Kaida said, pulling a face. "I mean, Chuck has enough issues with the Silver Wing. Will he be up for a challenge?"

"Maybe we could go back to help him," Nila suggested.

Kaida wasn't sure. She thought they should take a look around Olivine City to find out where Morven lived. If they could find his house then maybe they could recover the Silver Wing. She told Nila this.

Nila shrugged. "I need to go to the Pokémon Centre before we do anything."

"I don't think we can do much at all," Reid said, attempting to remain practical. "Chuck's a gym leader. He can sort out the Silver Wing. Morty's in Ecruteak keeping an eye out and Chuck won't make the same mistakes twice. He needs to tell the police."

John looked hesitant but in the end he decided there was little he could do and he needed to go to get assistance from the Farmer Giles.

They said goodbye to John and Reid at the Pokémon Centre and the boys said they would come back to Olivine City and meet up with them after they returned from the Miltank Farm. John and Reid gave their boat tickets to Rina and Flo – Kaida retrieved them moments later as she didn't trust the pair to look after them – and waved goodbye as they set off up the route to the farm.

Kaida sighed. "Now what are we gonna do?"

What happened next was a very happy coincidence.

A brown haired girl stood by the Pokémon Centre with a Ditto, which was eagerly changing shape. As it did, the girl donned different masks to match the Pokémon it was transforming into. A small crowd had gathered to watch. They eagerly volunteered their Pokémon to watch the Ditto transform into perfect replicas. The girl seemed to have an endless supply of masks and spun around to switch them rapidly.

"Bulba!" Ditto said, waving its new vines at the Bulbasaur before it.

"That's simply amazing," the owner cooed, leaning in to inspect the Ditto.

"Thank you," the girl said, now wearing a Bulbasaur mask herself. She gestured to the pot. "Please make a donation so I can continue buying masks and costumes!"

Something niggled at the back of Kaida's head as she surveyed the girl. While Rina had joined the crowd and was clapping enthusiastically, and Flo looked a little bored, Nila seemed to have come to the same, rather bizarre conclusion. They had definitely seen this girl before.

"Hey," Kaida said, when it finally registered. She put a protective hand on Cyndaquil, who was, as always, resting on her shoulder. "Isn't that…?"

"Hirune," Nila said, nodding.

The previously red haired girl who had wanted to _steal_ Kaida's Cyndaquil! What on earth was she doing here?! That annoying, nagging…

Nila slapped the back of Kaida's head. "Focus," she said sharply. "Stop thinking about Cyndaquil."

Kaida thought that perhaps she spent a little too much time with Nila, seeing as they both seemed to know what the other was thinking all the time.

Nila continued, "Hirune knew about Morven, idiot. You were looking for her."

"I thought Hirune had red hair," Flo said, cocking her head to one side.

Flo had the worst recognition powers in the world so they ignored her.

"Hirune!" Kaida yelled, marching forwards.

The girl ignored her, switching into a Spinarak mask as her Ditto used Transform once again.

"Hey, Hirune!" Kaida said, now in the girl's face. "Don't ignore me."

Ditto transformed into a Cyndaquil, noting the Pokémon on Kaida's shoulder, and Hirune did the same.

"Oi!" Kaida said, growing red in the face.

The girl, now in a Cyndaquil mask, turned to her. "Hello?"

"Hirune! We need to speak."

"Hirune?" the girl, who was definitely Hirune, questioned. "Who's that?"

"You!" Kaida seethed, losing her patience very rapidly.

"I'm Kunto," the girl told her. Ditto transformed into Nila's Chikorita next and the girl whipped around to change masks. "Please donate to my mask fund!"

"You're not Kunto," Kaida half-yelled. "You're Hirune!"

Several people were staring now but Kaida didn't care. This girl was getting on her last nerve! Trying to _abduct_ Cyndaquil and now being completely idiotic and refusing to help them find Morven! She wanted to strangle her. At least Hirune didn't hair red hair anymore. Kaida didn't want them to have the same colour, even if Hirune's red had been brighter than hers.

"You're Hirune," Kaida insisted. "You stayed with us, with your Sableye…"

"I don't have a Sableye," Hirune – Kunto – claimed. "I've only ever had a Ditto."

Kaida thought she might scream. Instead she reached forwards, grabbed the mask from Hirune's face, and was greeted with grey eyes and the same features. Yes, it was definitely her, and Kaida wasn't going to put up with this ridiculousness any longer. She grabbed the girl by the hair and tugged her away from her mask stand. The crowd muttered but Nila said, "That's my little sister. She's in big trouble."

Kaida dragged Hirune a few metres away (behind them she heard Rina saying to Nila, "I didn't know you had a sister!") and yanked on her hair sharply. Hirune yelped.

"Ow," Hirune groused. "I'm Kunto! What are you doing? Leave me alone!"

"Stop lying!" Kaida ordered. "You're some weirdo compulsive person who tried to steal my Cyndaquil to complete your set of three!"

"No I didn't!" Hirune replied, crying out as Kaida pulled her hair sharply again. "I've only ever had Ditto! I don't want any more Pokémon! Ditto is perfect! It can be anything!"

"Stop lying!"

Nila walked over, shrugging off questions from Rina, who was still enquiring why Nila had never mentioned a sister. She stuck her face into Hirune's as Kaida tugged the girl's hair.

"We want to know about Morven," Nila said, giving Hirune her most terrifying look. "Tell us and we'll leave you alone."

"Morven… Who? OW!"

Kaida, impatient as ever, had kicked Hirune in the shins. She deserved it, Kaida thought viciously. She was a giant annoyance and practically a _thief_. Poor Cyndaquil… Almost taken from Kaida so cruelly…

"OK, OK," Hirune said. "Let go!"

Nila pulled Kaida away from Hirune and they looked at the girl expectantly.

"Hirune," Nila began.

"_Kunto_," the girl insisted. She shook her head. "Anyway, I assume you mean Morven Smickle…"

"Where does he live?" Kaida demanded. "Where is he?"

She looked like she was going to hurt Hirune again so the girl shrunk back. Nila stopped her from potentially escaping by gripping her arm tightly.

"He's not in Olivine," Hirune said, watching Kaida warily from the corner of her eye.

"We know, he was in Cianwood a few days ago," Kaida said, trying to hurry Hirune along so they could get to the good information.

"Yeah, and he came back," Hirune agreed. "Then he left again. An hour ago. He was talking to some boat specialist… Something about whirlpools?"

Kaida and Nila exchanged alarmed looks.

"You," Kaida said, grabbing the girl's phone from her pocket. "I want your number so we can call you. You better answer!"

She recorded Hirune's number in her phone while Nila tried to get though, unsuccessfully, to Chuck in Cianwood. Cursing that John and Reid had just left, they dragged the protesting – and useless – Flo and Rina towards the port. Once at the harbour they looked around helplessly. Rina wandered off.

"Well we can't exactly use the cruise tickets, can we?" Kaida groaned, pulling at her hair. "They don't go off to the Whirl Islands or wherever the hell Morven is going. Plus they are stupidly slow…"

Near them, Rina had inserted some coins into a tourist telescope and was peering through, giggling, and saying something about noodles. Soon, however, the novelty wore off and she wandered off after a stray Pidgey.

"I can't get through to Chuck," Nila said, cursing at her phone.

Kaida ignored this and walked over to the telescope, zooming in as far as she could go. She gasped. She could see a small boat bobbing away quite a distance from the port. At first she was going to dismiss it but then she saw the fluttering of the cape and a glint of metal… Morven!

"Nila!" she snapped. "Come over here!"

Nila came over just as the telescope chinked and turned off. Kaida patted her pockets but she couldn't find anymore coins.

"Do you have a coin?" she asked.

Nila did, but not the right coin. Kaida lamented the loss of John and his binoculars. They looked around for Rina but she had disappeared after the Pidgey. They looked to Flo.

"I don't have any money!" Flo said. She added something about broken Ponyta and big shopping sprees. Nila and Kaida weren't interested.

"I saw Morven," Kaida said, her words blurring into each other in her rush to speak. "I saw him! I saw…" Her eyes hardened. "Nila, we have to follow."

"How?!" Nila demanded.

"We can ride on Seel," Kaida decided. "We have before!"

But Nila shook her head. "That's a stupid idea," she said. "Who knows how far he's going? We could get stuck at sea. Besides, if he's going to the Whirl Islands… They're named that for a reason! Whirlpools!"

Kaida didn't care about the dangers. Morven had the Silver Wing and he was up to something nefarious – something involving Lugia – and they had to stop him. They couldn't get Chuck's assistance so they would have do something themselves. Forget Nila's logical argument… They had to act!

"Nila!" Kaida yelled. "We have to!"

"We could find a boat…"

Kaida was obstinate. She shook her head fiercely. "No boat is going to go out there on a whim? How are we supposed to pay for it? We don't have a choice!"

Nila gave a huffed sigh and cast her eyes out to sea. "This is the stupidest idea you've _ever _had," she snapped. She thrust her phone to Flo. "Keep calling Chuck. No prank calls to Sinnoh or anywhere expensive like that or I'll _kill_ you."

Flo nodded meekly in the face of Nila's dangerous expression.

"And don't go rummaging through our stuff at Marigold's house," Nila added. "Stop Rina from doing it too. OK?" Flo nodded again. Nila turned to Kaida and said bluntly, "We're going to die. I hope you're happy."

They returned Chikorita and Cyndaquil to their Pokéballs and Nila marched along the harbour until they got to a suitable place, away from the boats, where Nila could release Seel into the water. Once again, Nila had to appeal to Seel's pride to get the Pokémon to give them a ride. Fortunately it conceded more quickly on this occasion. Just before they were about to get on, Nila turned to Kaida and held up one warning finger in her face.

"One more thing," she said sharply.

Kaida listened intently.

Nila's eyes were narrowed. "I don't give a hungry Hoothoot where we are," Nila threatened. "We could be on the edge of a stupid whirlpool for all I care… But if you throw up on me, I will chuck you off in an instant."

Kaida thought of her queasy stomach and sea sicknesses, and how riding a Pokémon was only going to amplify it. Right. She thought of Lugia to give her strength. She had better be prepared to swallow then. _Gross_.


	42. Chapter 42: secrets of whirlpool islands

**42. The secrets of the Whirlpool Islands  
**

Choppy waves made Kaida's stomach do somersaults but she resolutely closed her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Her grip around Nila tightened and Nila scowled.

"Stop it," Nila ordered. "I like breathing."

Kaida obligingly loosened her grip a little. She still was clinging on tightly. It wasn't her fault there was nothing to hold onto, unlike with Lapras. Nila had a grip around Seel's neck but, every so often, she would slide a little, due to the slippery water on Seel, and Kaida's stomach would lurch violently while Nila rearranged her grip.

Ahead they could see, distantly, the small boat that Morven was in. Behind them, when Kaida dared to look, the harbour and Olivine City had become a small blob. Being so far from land made the sick feeling swell up again and Kaida forced her eyes shut again.

"We are lucky that boat is creeping along like a Magcargo trying to be a water snail," Nila muttered.

Kaida groaned. Her eyes clenched shut more tightly. "Why would you do that to the poor Magcargo?!"

Nila could see the Whirl Islands looming ahead and she prayed they would be able to avoid the worst of the whirlpools and that Morven's boat would not speed up. Seel was forced to bear two passengers and it was beginning to tire: they had travelled a considerable distance. She didn't want to voice her concerns to Kaida because that would probably tip her over the edge.

Also approaching was another boat. It was larger than Morven's and was skirting the edges of the Whirl Islands, not too far from the approaching whirlpools, but with a enough distance that they were not in any immediate peril. The boat was not in danger but Nila felt Seel struggling against the strong currents and she clung on a little tighter. This had been a terrible, terrible idea. As they drew closer and closer, Nila saw that it was a tourist boat. She thought she saw a man standing on the mast and she could hear his words through his megaphone.

"The history of the Whirl Islands is seeped in legend…" the man explained to his rapt audience on the boat.

The boat was drawing closer and closer and Seel didn't seem to have the strength to veer away from it. The currents were pulling them in the direction of the boat and they drew closer and closer every second. Nila swore under her breath. The current sped Seel up and they were getting closer and closer to the front of the boat…

"What?" Kaida asked, opening one eye. Her head was turned so she was not facing the boat. She didn't see the impending danger.

"Nothing," Nila said quickly.

Kaida shut her eyes again. A particularly rough wave sent her stomach spinning and she clamped her mouth shut. Oh, high _Lugia_. This was torture!

Nila's eyes were pinned to the front of the boat. It had stopped, but they hadn't, and whoever was driving it clearly wasn't paying attention as the engines started up again. Slowly it crept forwards as they were flung towards it. Impact, Nila thought, was _not_ going to be fun. She couldn't judge whether they actually would hit it, as they surfed closer on the choppy, dark waves, but it was going to be extremely close. They were level with the boat and Nila braced herself. At the last second Seel surged forwards and they shot past the sharp front of the boat.

"…the story of Lugia…" The tour guide on the boat was still speaking through his megaphone. "To the right you can see the tallest of the Whirl Islands and two small children in the water… Wait… they weren't there yesterday!"

Gasps, whispers, and yells came from the boat as people clamoured to the side to see the sight of two young children riding a Seel.

"But," the tour guide squeaked, his composure completely lost. "Whirlpools!"

"Somebody help them!" a woman cried hysterically.

"Eh?" Kaida said, opening her eyes after missing all the drama. She looked around to see the tour boat behind them and the fast current dragging them forcefully. Her eyes widened as she realised what was happening. No, Seel hadn't just gained super strength and was going faster, they were actually being dragged. "Nila!" she yelped.

"This is _your _fault," Nila said through gritted teeth.

Kaida started to gag.

"I'll still throw you off!" Nila threatened, feeling Kaida start to heave behind her.

Luckily there was no swallowing necessary as, with another lurch from the water, the urge to be sick bizarrely left Kaida. Now she was just terrified. She was going to drown at sea. She would drown in the middle of the sea, with the enemy of water all around her. This was a nightmare.

"Oh no," she said decisively, swallowing her fear. "We're not dying here! I won't let us!"

"What exactly are you going to _do_?" Nila demanded.

She had a point. The despair crept back over Kaida.

"Seel, try and use the current," Nila ordered. "We can try and skirt by the edge of the whirlpool and let it fling us by."

"That only works in films!" Kaida yelled. She was going to die. She was going to die and she'd never see Cyndaquil again. Cyndaquil was tucked safely in its Pokéball… Well, she didn't want to release it and subject it to this horrible end.

Nila actually turned around and glared at Kaida. Or, rather, she tried, twisting her head as far as it would go as Kaida clung to her back. "Shut up," she ordered. "Come on, Seel."

The rushing sound of water was all around them. They were dragged to the right and Kaida vaguely heard alarmed shouts behind them from the tour ship. Then they faded as Seel was pulled more rapidly into the deep currents. At one point there was a hard downwards force and Kaida thought they were going to go under. Fortunately Seel pulled past it and they were fine, for the moment.

And,_ oh, trampling Tauros, _Kaida could even _see_ the dip and the whirlpool. It wasn't a big one, in all fairness, but it was big enough. They were being sucked towards it and grew closer by the second. Seel tried to pull away but Nila muttered more words to it and it calmed down slightly, trying to follow and use the current to its advantage. Nila was having her own problems. There was water _everywhere_ and it was getting more and more difficult to hold on, half submerged, when there were forces tearing at them from all sides. Kaida choked as water splashed and entered her mouth. _Lugia_, this was it. They were on the edge of the whirlpool and were sweeping around. They were dipping towards the middle, despite Seel's efforts, but then…

They were up, spinning away from the whirlpool in a different direction. Nila's tactics had actually worked! Kaida gasped in air as they pulled free of the water smashing at either side of them. They were free and, _wave_… They were submerged underwater again and Kaida tried not to breathe in. Then, _up_, and she coughed and gasped in air at the most unfortunate moment as they were swept under the turbulent waters again. Nila didn't look like she was faring any better. The whirlpool was behind them but it seemed other whirlpools were ahead, or to the side, as currents _pulled_ and Kaida's head cracked forwards into Nila's. She heard the sound of the skulls smashing in a brief moment above water and winced. That was definitely not good.

Then, to Kaida's horror, she was slipping backwards. Her arms were still wrapped securely around Nila's waist but Nila wasn't holding on anymore! They slipped underwater and Seel was above and they were sinking, sinking, quickly. Kaida tried to kick her feet but it wasn't helping. Nila's long hair was a dark veil across her face but, when it was swept aside for a moment, Kaida saw her eyes were closed. She was unconscious. Kaida looked up and saw Seel swimming towards them but she had no air left… She couldn't breathe. It wasn't enough…

Her eyes slipped shut and strangely, under the dark water, she thought she saw a glimpse of a _glow_. Then something rammed into her side and she was rushing upwards, upwards, quicker and quicker and, _gasp, _she'd broken the surface. Kaida clung to Nila with one hand and scrabbled desperately with the other to find something to hold onto as she gasped in air deeply. She felt sounding cold and slippery and then something hard and pointy, which she seized. She opened her eyes, vision spinning, to see sky above her and, when she looked at what she was holding, she saw it was Seel, except it wasn't. This was a Dewgong.

Kaida saw Nila's nose twitch and she shifted the arm that was gripping Nila so she could slap Nila a few times, gently enough, in the face. It worked and Nila came to with a spluttered, coughing up what appeared to be a bucket full of water. Kaida felt sick at the sight of it. Nila's eyes were bleary as she looked around but they soon sharpened. It wasn't over yet.

Nila wrapped her arms back around Dewgong but, this time, Kaida clung on to Dewgong with one hand and to Nila with the other. If Nila slipped out of consciousness again then Kaida would need to take over. They couldn't afford another sinking incident. Dewgong moved forwards swiftly and powerfully. The currents still pulled at them but the Pokémon seemed to have a new strength and determination as it skirted another, awe-inspiring whirlpool and sped towards the shore of the Whirl Island. Now tall, jagged rocks were a danger, sticking out of the water like teeth, protecting the islands. They were dangerous, yes, but as they grew closer the forces from the whirlpools lessened and Dewgong in fact found it easier to swim to shore. They beached at the first opportunity, scrabbling onto wet rocks and sliding awkwardly. Dewgong waited in the water as Nila collapsed, groaning. Kaida fumbled for Nila's Pokéball and returned the Pokémon herself. Next she put the Pokéball back and checked Nila's head. There was blood, she saw, but not a lot, and she hoped it was true that head wounds bled a lot and looked worse than they were.

Nila gave another hacking cough and looked up at Kaida. A wry smile crept onto her face.

"Looks like your hard head isn't always an advantage," she wheezed.

"Are you OK?" Kaida asked urgently. "I mean, don't go to sleep or anything. You have to stay awake." She patted Nila's head but the taller girl batted her hands away. "You could have concussion or even hypothermia from this water…"

It was freezing, Kaida thought, so she helped pull Nila a little further up the rocks and she released Cyndaquil. She hugged the Pokémon fiercely – eternally grateful to see it again – and then set the fire Pokémon down and asked it to start its flame. It wasn't much but it helped a little.

"I can't see the boat," Kaida said, speaking to herself as well as Nila. "We have to find it… It has to be here somewhere. If we follow the island…" She glanced at Nila, concerned. "Are you going to be OK?"

Nila pushed herself into a sitting position with some effort. She nodded but this seemed to hurt her, judging by the hand she brought swiftly to her forehead and a strong wince. "Yeah," she said finally. "I didn't get my head bashed in for nothing. Help me up and we can go."

They could only go so far on foot, sliding along the rocks, because there was a sheer cliff face. This was impossible to climb and the shore soon disappeared. They got back on Dewgong and circled the island until they finally found the boat. It had set down its anchor and bobbed up and down in the mouth of a river (or was it still sea?) that led into a cave in the island. They skulked around the edges of this opening to avoid being detected by any of Morven's henchmen that might still be on the boat. They stealthily slunk into the cave, up the more gentle stretch of water. Finally they hit land again, now rock and earth and flat, and they climbed onto it. It was horribly dark so Kaida released Cyndaquil and let her Pokémon light up its flame. It didn't help much. There was a glimpse of daylight behind them but that would fade if they went any deeper into the labyrinth under the island. Nila returned Dewgong, with a praising and grateful pat to its head, and sent out Flaaffy, ordering it to use Charge.

"Who knew this would come in useful?" she muttered, referring to Flaaffy's time spent lighting up Olivine City's lighthouse. The beam was powerful and lit the area well. Cyndaquil let its flame extinguish and Kaida stooped so it could hop onto her shoulder. They went forwards and Nila, peering at the ground, found faint footprint marks from heavy soled boots.

"They must have been here," she said thoughtfully. "Flaaffy, if you can turn down the light just a little… We don't want to tip them off too early if we can."

Flaaffy obeyed. Kaida and Nila were both impressed with its level of control.

"Sooo," Kaida said slowly. "Where do you reckon Lugia's roost is?"

Nila gave her a look. Right. No idea. They'd have to hope they could follow a trail of wet footprints otherwise they could be going in completely the wrong direction. Tunnels led off in all directions and they continued to follow the main path, after finding odd shoe imprints, until they heard the sound of heavy, rushing water. They listened carefully and came to the same conclusion: a waterfall.

Sure enough, as they followed the largest tunnel, they found a dark underground river. It was swept under the walls near where they walked and seemed to be immensely wide, although it did keep disappearing and sometimes only partial parts of it were showing. The glow from Flaaffy was their only comfort in the dark cave and Cyndaquil shuffled closer to Kaida's head and entangled itself with her hair. Nila, despite her head injury, strode ahead and so she was the first one to see the colossal waterfall when the tunnel widened out. Because of the enormous height of the waterfall, Flaaffy was forced to increase the intensity of its light so they could see far enough into the black. They craned their necks to look to the top and saw, there, Morven and several henchmen flying on Pokémon – a Pidgeot and two Fearow – near the top.

"How…?" Kaida spluttered uselessly.

Nila nodded. They didn't need to voice what they were thinking. There was no way they were going to be able to climb up the sides of the waterfall: it would be suicide. They also had no Pokémon able to fly them up there.

"Don't suppose Dewgong…" Kaida started weakly.

"Amazing enough," Nila said dryly, "Dewgong cannot defy gravity."

There was a tunnel at the base of the waterfall. It was small, and they had no clue where it led, but it seemed to be their only choice. They hurried forwards, sliding dangerous across smooth, damp rocks, and entered the tunnel. It moved steeply up hill, enforcing Kaida's belief that it would take them to the top of the waterfall. However, instead the tunnel levelled out into a small, round cavern. It seemed to be a dead end.

On closer examination they found a tiny hole that continued to slope upwards.

"Did they mine here or something?" Nila muttered. It was either that or burrowing Pokémon. She could understand that water would erode weaker rock and leave stronger rock behind, but some of these passages seemed a little precise for that.

"A person couldn't get through there," Kaida scoffed, leaning forwards to examine the hole. It was tiny!

It was Nila's turn to laugh as she pushed Kaida forwards. Kaida fell forwards.

"You'll fit," she said.

Kaida frowned but, after scrambling forwards, she determined that Nila was right. She _did _fit. Well, that was a blow to the ego, she thought. How small was she?! She crawled up the tunnel a little way but then backed out. It was far too dark to continue and she had no torch or light. She gestured for Nila to try the hole but, even after Nila managed to cram her shoulders through, she got stuck at the hips. She shuffled back out.

"I'll have to go on by myself," Kaida said determinedly.

"This is a stupid idea," Nila reminded her. "You don't know where that goes. You could get stuck or lost. And if I can't get in there then there is no way an adult rescue team could. Then if they tried to make it wider it could collapse."

Sometimes Kaida hated Nila's practical side. It wiped away her bravery and made her stomach lurch as if she were still at sea. She pushed this aside. She had a Morven to stop and a Lugia to save.

"Cyndaquil can go first and light its flames," Kaida decided. It wouldn't be much light but it would be enough. "I can follow. You wait here."

Nila did not look happy but she seemed to realise it was pointless arguing. "I'll go back to the waterfall and see if there's a way up. Don't do anything stupid. Make sure you know how to get back."

Kaida saluted. "Yes sir!" Then she urged Cyndaquil into the hole and squeezed in after it.

It wasn't too bad really, she thought, as she crawled up the steep slope. Yes, it was horribly claustrophobic, but she just tried to ignore the horrible feeling that tonnes of earth and rock were pressing in on all sides. She focused on Cyndaquil and the light projected by fire in front of her as she continued to crawl through the oppressive, gloomy tunnel. It was hard and rocky and uncomfortable in places. In others it was slimy and wet. She ploughed on regardless, trying to think of better things: gorgeous fire Pokémon, a glorious fire gym, Matt, pizza… She continued for ages and ages, always sharply uphill, scrabbling along the best she could, with only Cyndaquil, the noise of her own breathing, and the faint sound of water plunging down the waterfall as company.

Then, finally, Cyndaquil dropped out of view and Kaida found herself crawling out onto wet rocks in a place with a mercifully high ceiling. Beside her was a gushing river, dark with a strong current. She couldn't see much but she could hear the waterfall again at full volume. She was about to stand up when she saw another glistening footprint. Yes, they had been here and, fortunately, they had landed on the same side of the river as her. She stood up and started to follow the river. She would find them and stop them.

-

Nila did try once more to squeeze through the tiny tunnel and almost managed to fit. However, concern about getting wedged in there made her pull back. She brushed her hair – still soaking – from her face and turned to Flaaffy. Together they trekked back down the wider tunnel towards the river. She faced the giant waterfall and walked to the pool near the bottom. Spray hit her as she ventured closer but, as she was already completely wet all over, it made little difference. There was certainly no way to clamber up the sides: they were slick and smooth. Even if there was she didn't think it was a good idea to risk it. A fall from near the top would lead to being crushed by the water even if she didn't hit the rocks.

Nila sat down near the pool and tried to think. Kaida was going to need help. She couldn't possibly take on Morven and his henchmen all by herself. Unfortunately, Nila had no way to reach her. She didn't think there was much chance of going back for help either. She could only hope that Flo had managed to get through to Chuck and he was on his way. Other than that, she saw no solutions to her predicament.

Flaaffy tapped Nila with its bobbing tail and Nila looked up. Flaaffy was looking to the tunnel they had originally come from. Nila narrowed her eyes but saw nothing. Was someone coming? She strained her ears and heard nothing, but knew that Flaaffy's senses were probably superior to her own. She started to retreat to the tunnel and urged Flaaffy to turn off its glow. They waited in gloomy darkness until Nila could finally hear the footsteps for herself. A minute later and a slight figure emerged wielding a beaming torch, although it was pointed in a different direction. A Magnemite floated near the figure, radiating light. Nila squinted through the darkness and thought she recognised the figure. Then the person stepped closer to the Magnemite and her face was lit up. It was Jasmine.

Nila stepped out from her hiding place and Jasmine jumped in surprise. She recovered quickly and said, "Nila… Um… Where's Kaida?"

"Ahead. She went through a tiny hole," Nila explained. "I didn't fit. Why are you here?"

"Um," Jasmine said, shifting from one leg to the other. "I, er, Chuck called me. He explained it all. Um, he said pride got the best of him and, um, he's told Morty the whole story, and me… His – his wife won't let him leave… He's still hurt but, um…"

"So you're here to stop Morven from getting Lugia or whatever that Silver Wing does," Nila summarised.

Jasmine nodded. "I… We should get Kaida."

Nila looked Jasmine up and down. "I couldn't fit in that hole. There's no way you can."

Nevertheless, Nila led Jasmine up the tunnel at a brisk pace to the place that Kaida had crawled through. Jasmine peered up the hole and then sent her Magnemite up there. They fell into darkness for a moment and Nila ordered Flaaffy to charge up again so they could see. Jasmine's torch was powerful but it only illuminated limited parts of their surroundings.

After a short while, Magnemite came back. Jasmine conversed with it briefly and ascertained, from the little rolling head bobs, that Kaida was no longer in the tunnel and the tunnel had led to the top of the waterfall. Jasmine and Nila moved swiftly back to the waterfall.

"What now?" Nila asked.

Jasmine gestured for them to all step back and Nila, Flaaffy, and Magnemite got out of her way. Jasmine reached for a Pokéball and summoned Steelix. Nila winced involuntarily. The last time a Steelix had been released in a confined space it had ended very badly. Fortunately Jasmine was a better judge, and did not want the cave to come crashing down on their heads, so Steelix did manage to fit into the cavern. It was partially draped over the water, despite the fast current, and it bowed its head to Jasmine to wait for instructions.

"Come here," Jasmine beckoned.

Steelix put its head on the ground and Jasmine clambered on top of it. Magnemite whizzed up there and hovered above Jasmine as she reached down to help pull Flaaffy and Nila up. Once they were all on the middle of Steelix's head, the steel Pokémon started to move. Instinctively, Nila grabbed onto Flaaffy and tried not to lose her balance as the Pokémon, as slowly and steadily as it could, raised its head and body. Air whipped by as they were lifted to the top of the waterfall. Jasmine stood, tall and proud and with perfect balance, next to the stooping Nila. When Steelix placed its head next to the top of the waterfall, Jasmine hopped off onto the land and the others followed her. She returned Steelix to its Pokéball.

"That's one useful Pokémon," Nila muttered.

Jasmine gave her a shy smile. Then her face straightened out. They couldn't afford to stand around chatting: they needed to find Kaida, and quickly.

-

The tunnel had swept away from the river and Kaida climbed higher and higher, even though the way was not as steep anymore. Then the route dipped again, slightly, before flattening out. Cyndaquil, with its fiery back, was her guiding light through the otherwise pitch black. There was no sense of day or time as she stumbled along the seemingly endless corridors. Then, suddenly, the tunnel opened up again into an enormous room. Cyndaquil's little light could not extend far enough to show Kaida where the ceiling and walls were but that problem was solved by artificial lights.

Kaida urged Cyndaquil back and its flame extinguished as it sat beside her. Kaida crouched and watched Morven and his henchmen. They had several beaming lanterns set on the floor. They were examining a pile of rocks on the other side of the vast cavern. The rocks were boulders, easily as high – or taller – than an adult human. Kaida glanced up, wondering if they had fallen from above, and was greeted by an uneven looking ceiling of rocks. She gulped.

There was a flash and Steelix erupted from Morven's Pokéball. This time the cavern was a suitable size for Steelix but Kaida still felt worried as Steelix used its tail to toss aside the boulders there were blocking the way. This was Kaida's chance, she thought. If she could stop Steelix from unblocking the way then, hopefully, Morven wouldn't have any other Pokémon that would be able to do it. Then he would be stuck. Still, Steelix _was_ enormous. She was going to need a lot of firepower.

Then she paused. While she would normally rush in, hot headed, she did remember what happened last time Morven's Steelix was released. Adding that to the rather perilous, cracking rocks surrounding them, she decided that, for once, she needed to more pragmatic. She released Flareon as quietly as she could.

"You need to use Yawn," she told Flareon, "and knock out that Steelix so it can't do any damage."

They were too far away so they sneaked through the darkness, trying to stay out of eyesight of Morven and his two stooges. They drew closer and closer to Steelix and were almost there…

"Hey, you!"

One of the henchmen had spotted her and Steelix, Morven, and the other man all spun around to look at her.

"Now, Flareon!" Kaida hissed.

Flareon stared the enormous Pokémon in the face and performed the move. Steelix shook its heavy head from side to side and then bared its teeth and lunged. Kaida, Flareon, and Cyndaquil leapt backwards as Steelix smashed into the earth before them. The shockwave sent them tumbling over and, above, Kaida saw several smaller pieces of rocks had fallen down on the other side of the cavern. Steelix raised itself, ready to dive at them again, and Kaida automatically shielded herself with her arms. Cyndaquil leapt to her rescue, however, with a powerful flamethrower in the face of Steelix. The Pokémon roared out and sent its tail swiping. Cyndaquil dodged it just in time.

The henchmen released their Golbat and they converged on Cyndaquil, who desperately tried to use Flamethrower to keep them away. The pair kept dodging and Cyndaquil spun in circles and tried to dodge their joint attacks.

"Cyndaquil!" Kaida yelled, scrambling to her feet. "Use Flame Wheel instead!"

Cyndaquil rolled into the fiery ball, mixing defence and offence as it ploughed into one of the Golbat and evaded the other's attack. Kaida, meanwhile, stumbled back a few paces as Steelix regained its composure and started to attack Flareon and Kaida. Flareon leapt forwards to use Bite on the Steelix, but it had little effect. Kaida could only pray that Steelix would finally fall asleep because Flareon had no moves that would have much effect. Its drowsiness made its swipe at Flareon slower, so the fire Pokémon leapt back in time, but then it lunged at Kaida, who was a little too slow. Flareon jumped in the way of Kaida, who gaped in horror, until Flareon leapt forwards to tackle Steelix head on, crunching down with force that caused Steelix to writhe in pain and recoil.

Fire Fang. Flareon had used Fire Fang. Flareon had actually used a fire move! Kaida was so proud that she felt a tear swelling in her eye. Then she remembered that it wasn't the time for such sentimentalities… Steelix had finally succumbed to sleep and was toppling over. Kaida ran backwards and scarcely avoided being crushed by the steel giant. The resounding force caused several more rocks to fall and she was tackled down by Flareon to avoid one of them. She heard Morven cursing and just before she fell, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him dodging falling earth.

Kaida was still on the floor when Morven released another Pokémon. It was a Metagross – not a native Pokémon in Johto – and it stomped forwards to continue moving the boulders. Kaida got back to her feet, intending to order Flareon to stop it, but one of the henchmen rushed at her. She ducked away at the last second, avoiding his long arms, and Flareon leapt forwards protectively, crouching down, ready to pounce, and growling in warning.

Then, to Kaida's horror, a chunk of rock from the ceiling fell and hit Steelix. It didn't seem to hurt the Pokémon – it hadn't been too large – but Steelix shook its head and started to stir. She backed off immediately, Flareon following her, and edged towards Cyndaquil, who had successfully managed to knock out one of the Golbat and was sending Flamethrower attacks at the other, who was dodging skilfully.

Morven and Metagross finished clearing the boulders aside as Steelix reared up. It looked enraged. Morven left his Pokémon behind, climbing through the tunnel Metagross had cleared. It seemed to veer sharply downwards.. He disappeared from view almost immediately and then Morven's Steelix turned its large head to face Kaida, Cyndaquil, and Flareon. Then it lunged.

"Go, Steelix!" another voice cried.

A flash of red light and an enormous, solid body flung itself to intercept Morven's Steelix. Kaida crouched and shielded her face but the second Pokémon – the second Steelix – had stopped Morven's metres from her. Kaida glanced over her shoulder and saw Nila and a glowing Flaaffy and, next to her, Jasmine, who had one arm stretched forwards with a Pokéball clasped firmly in her hand.

Cyndaquil suddenly let out a squeal of pain, which distracted Kaida from the sudden, surprising arrival of Jasmine. Golbat had sunk its fangs into Cyndaquil and Cyndaquil seemed to be unable to struggle free. Kaida opened her mouth, about to call on Flareon, when the henchman with the defeated Golbat recalled his Pokémon and sent out a Rhyhorn instead. Flareon stepped up and Kaida bit her lip as the Rhyhorn started to charge.

"Flareon, dodge it," she ordered, while looking frantically at Cyndaquil, who was still in the clutches of the Golbat.

"Flaaffy, use Tackle," Nila ordered.

She didn't dare use Discharge while so many Pokémon were fighting at the same time. It could end disastrously. Luckily, Flaaffy charged forwards, still glowing, and managed to pry Cyndaquil from Golbat's grip. Cyndaquil reignited its flame and finished Golbat off with a well placed Flamethrower. Golbat crashed to the ground.

Meanwhile, the two Steelix were grappling each other. While Morven's Steelix actually was a little larger than Jasmine's, Jasmine's seemed to have the upper hand in strength as it forced the other Steelix to the ground. Unfortunately, Morven's Steelix had no qualms in lashing out and shaking the ground and walls so more rocks were dislodged and came smashing to the floor, while Jasmine's Steelix was being far more careful.

"Kaida!" Nila yelled.

Kaida looked up to see Rhyhorn, metres away from her, still charging. Flareon, who had previously been dodging Rhyhorn's attempts, was forced to jump to confront the Pokémon. Rhyhorn smashed into the smaller, fire Pokémon with immense force, the Take Down attack sending Flareon crumpling to the floor. Rhyhorn then turned and performed Stomp.

"Flareon!" Kaida cried, distressed. How dare that big lump of ground-rock Pokémon do this to her Pokémon?!

The other henchman had released another Pokémon, Quagsire. Kaida was torn between both of her Pokémon.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack!" she ordered, knowing fire would be virtually ineffective against this foe. She then looked to Flareon and pleaded, "Flareon, move!"

A burst of flashing light stuck Rhyhorn and sent it rolling backwards, freeing Flareon. Rhyhorn skidded to a halt and faced Flaaffy, who had performed Signal Beam under the instruction of a rather angry looking Nila, who rushed to Kaida's side.

"Morven," Kaida spluttered. "He…" She was cut off. "Cyndaquil! Get back!"

Quagsire had performed Water Gun and it hit Cyndaquil, dousing its flame. Kaida watched Cyndaquil struggle to get up and was about to rush to its side when Nila grabbed her wrist.

"You have to go after him," Nila said, her eyes looking to the tunnel. "Jasmine and I can deal with these guys." She grabbed another Pokéball and released Chikorita. "Chikorita, stop that Quagsire with Razor Leaf."

Kaida met Nila's eyes and nodded. "Cyndaquil, Flareon," she called. "We're going!"

Morven's Steelix threw Jasmine's against the wall at that moment and the ground shook from the force. Kaida and Nila were thrown to their knees and even Rhyhorn was disorientated, its charge at Flaaffy disrupted.

"Go!" Nila urged, shoving Kaida as they climbed back to their feet. "Flaaffy! Another Signal Beam! Don't let him hit you."

With Chikorita attacking Quagsire, Cyndaquil managed to recover and run to Kaida's side. Flareon, however, was having a little more difficulty and, when it reached Kaida, Kaida patted the Pokémon affectionately before returning it to its Pokéball. It had done well but Rhyhorn had hurt it badly. Kaida ducked to cover Cyndaquil as the ground shook again from the force of the battling Steelix and then she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the tunnel. As she reached it, and looked back, her eyes widened in horror as, above Nila, a piece of rock came plummeting. Nila, concentrated on ordering Chikorita and Flaaffy jointly, had not noticed.

Fortunately, Jasmine had. Her Steelix stuck out its tail as a shield above Nila and the rock shattered upon it. Nila looked up in some shock and then glanced to the side, noticing Kaida had halted. She glared at her and Kaida got the message. Right, stop Morven and finish it all. Jasmine and Nila would be able to take care of those two henchmen. Kaida had her own mission.

The tunnel went sharply down hill and, inexplicably, there was a long set of crude, jagged steps. They were straight and steep and the darkness meant that she could not see Morven ahead. Cyndaquil kept its flame burning as it hopped down the stairs beside her and Kaida, despite almost tripping over several times, kept running. Every time she almost fell her heart caught in her throat for she knew, if she did, she could tumble for metres and metres and never stop. But she continued on. Adrenaline fuelled her as she pumped her arms and legs furiously, refusing to give into tiredness or aches in her arms and legs and a stitch in her side.

Deeper and deeper and then… The steps came to an end and Kaida found herself in a another cavern, much the same as the one below in size but perhaps a little larger, except this one was filled with dark, still water. There was a strip of ground that jutted from the water, which rose a little as it went along. By Kaida the water was almost level with the ground but, a hundred feet or so out, where Morven stood, the ground had risen so it was a few metres above the surface. The walls of this cavern were damp and mossy and gleaming and Kaida was hit, instantly, by the chill in the air. She was struck by the feeling that she was darker and deeper than she had been before after the seemingly never-ending flight of stairs.

Morven had placed a lantern on the ground where he was standing, illuminating his silhouette against the walls. Kaida watched, with her own smaller glow from Cyndaquil, as Morven's torn cape fluttered as he raised his arms above his head, holding aloft the Silver Wing. At first, nothing seemed to happen and then, slowly, a glow crept onto the wing. It wasn't bright but the wing was still shining and this had to mean it was doing something. Kaida started to run again.

Her steps echoed horribly but Morven didn't turn until she was a few metres away from him. Kaida lunged but he was far taller than her and could easily keep the Silver Wing from her grasp.

"What are you going to do?" he sneered, looking her up and down.

Kaida tried again but he pushed her back. She landed on the ground _hard_ and Cyndaquil ran over to her, dismayed. Kaida looked up at Morven and, even through the mask, she could see the smug look in his dark eyes. He thought he had won. Kaida glared. _Not yet_.

Instead of aiming for the Silver Wing, Kaida curled her hand into a fist and sent it flying forwards, pummelling into his stomach. Her next blow was to his crotch – a low, but necessary measure – and Morven groaned and dropped the Silver Wing the ground. It landed near the edge of the rocks, inches from falling into the water.

"You…" Morven spluttered several expletives. "You can't…"

"Well you can't have Lugia," Kaida spat.

She looked at the wing. It was still glowing and, somewhere deep below, there was a faint and ominous rumble.

"Why _not_?" Morven hissed, still doubled over in pain. "How is it different from having any other Pokémon?"

"You're not even capturing it," Kaida retorted. "You'll _control _it with that _thing_!"

Morven's dark eyes narrowed. "So?" he demanded. "It's not _that_ different from Pokémon Trainers or Rangers."

"Pokémon trainers don't control their Pokémon like that!" Kaida defended. "And Pokémon Rangers only use them temporarily and it's always to help people!"

"Maybe I want to help people," Morven spat back.

Kaida was at a loss, but only for a moment. "It's a legendary Pokémon," she said. "It's enormously powerful. People can't have that power. They can't be trusted!" Morven started to rise and the rumbling grew closer and the ground started to shake. Kaida, desperately, yelled, "What _would_ you do with it?!"

Morven averted his gaze. He didn't reply. That was answer enough for Kaida. She ran towards the Silver Wing, aiming to grab it, but Morven grabbed her arm and, with superior strength, he pulled her back and threw her to the floor. Cyndaquil leapt in front of the Silver Wing, its flame blazing brighter, and Morven skidded to a halt. He reached for one of his own Pokéballs and enlarged it. The rumbling and shaking was increasing by the second and, like the previous cavern, the rocks seemed to be unstable and prone to avalanche. Several went crashing into the water was large, loud splashes. Morven hesitated, looking above, and Kaida lunged at his hands, preventing him from opening the Pokéball.

"Cyndaquil, get that out of here!" Kaida yelled.

Cyndaquil picked up the Silver Wing in its mouth but Morven dragged himself – and Kaida – over to block Cyndaquil's way. When Cyndaquil looked like it would run around again, Morven tried a different tactic, and wrenched one of his hands free to pull Kaida's hair forcefully. Kaida yelled out in reflex and this was enough to stop Cyndaquil. It dropped the Silver Wing and launched itself at Morven. Kaida had dropped Morven's wrists in her pain and this left him free to release a Pokémon to block Cyndaquil's way. It was an Ursaring, and it beat its chest with its fists before using Slash on Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil, already tired and beaten from its previous battles, was an easy target. It dropped like a stone in water.

"No!" Kaida cried, rushing around Morven towards Cyndaquil, avoiding the roaring Ursaring. She shook Cyndaquil and it opened its eyes blearily. It was OK… She grabbed its Pokéball and returned it, trying to think what to do next.

The rumbling was sending rocks crashing down by the second and one hit right next to Kaida, exploding from the force of impact. Ursaring protected Morven from a similar rock. The rumbling, as well as shaking the ground and the surface of the water, created horrible, deafening noise. Morven had his hands over his ears but Kaida couldn't afford that luxury. She peeked behind her. The Silver Wing. Now its glow was far stronger and, when a rock hit the lantern and it was destroyed, it lit up the entire cavern. Kaida scooped it up and it was hot to the touch, but not burning, despite what the glow might suggest. Ursaring stepped forwards, threateningly, and Kaida took one step backwards. Her foot hit the edge of the ledge.

"Give it here," Morven screamed over the uproar. "Now!"

"I won't!" Kaida said.

There was nowhere to run. Ursaring stepped forwards again and Kaida…

She fell backwards, falling the short distance into the dark, deep water. It was icy cold – far colder than the sea they had fallen in earlier – and, while she struggled to stay above the surface, spluttering and gasping, she soon couldn't maintain strength. It was quite underneath, sound of the rumbling not travelling as effectively through the liquid. It was quiet and _still_, despite the choppiness of the surface. Her grip on the Silver Wing remained as the water, with icy hands, seemed to stab her, crushing her lungs and organs as she sunk deeper. Her eyes were still open but, despite the light of the object in her hand, the surface of the water was growing more difficult to see by the second.

_Lugia, _she cursed, not even having time to think at the aptness of her words. A stream of other explicit words ran through her mind. _Somebody help…_

The next thing Kaida felt was something smashing into her from behind and, in a split second, she rose through the water and crashed past the surface. She drew in gasping breaths of air, which pained her lungs. She didn't even have the strength to fully cough at first, which led to a horrible wheezing. She couldn't _see_, she thought, because of the terrible brightness of the Silver Wing, which was still clutched in her frozen fingers. Then she did cough, and it was horrible, but the water was expelled from her body.

Two almost-drownings in one day. Kaida should have never bothered to get up that morning.

Her eye sight started to return at the same time she realised the rumbling in the cave had now stopped. She was floating on _something_ and she could vaguely make out Morven and Ursaring below them. And she… Kaida thought she might faint as the light dimmed enough for her to realise what was going on. She was on top of _Lugia_. Her mind couldn't quite wrap itself around the concept that it was _Lugia_, a Pokémon she had dreamed of just _spotting_ her whole life. She had wanted a glimpse and it had saved her. Then she looked at the Silver Wing and realised why. Of course, she was controlling Lugia.

She sat astride Lugia over the horrified Morven and his Ursaring, who was guarding its face with its brutish arms. Morven tore off his mask and the look on his face was one of complete disbelief, distress, and fury rolled into one.

"Lugia!" he yelled. "It was supposed to be…"

Lugia regarded him blankly.

"You need to go _now_," Kaida ordered. "Get your Steelix and _leave_, and don't you dare do anything else to hurt Jasmine or Nila. _Go_!"

Morven gave her one last look of rage before turning and storming down the strip of ground between him and the tunnel. His Ursaring followed him rapidly.

Once she was satisfied that he had gone, she turned her attention back to Lugia.

"Um, can you lower me down?"

Lugia inclined its neck forwards she could scramble back onto the ground. She looked up at the awe-inspiring Pokémon and took it all in. It was everything thing she had imagined and a thousand things more. It looked fiercer and wilder but it was clearly intelligent beyond human knowledge at the same time. Once she might have thought this wouldn't make sense, but she know knew that was human arrogance. Lugia was _majestic. _

But, as much as it tore her, she knew this wasn't the way Lugia was supposed to be. It looked nothing like the Pokémon she trained – or that any trainer she knew trained – who could be unruly or loving but, ultimately, had a form of free will. Lugia was completely under her control like this. It was sickening.

"Um, so you need to go back now," she told Lugia.

It didn't move. Kaida set the Silver Wing on the ground.

"I don't want to control you," she said. "You should, um, go back to wherever you were. Do what you were doing."

Lugia stayed very still and Kaida's heart clenched. Why wasn't it working?! Then, slowly, life seemed to ripple back into Lugia. Its eyes were no longer dead. The light emitting from the Silver Wing started to fade. Kaida picked it up again and offered it to the Pokémon.

"Er, do you want to take this?" she asked. "Maybe _you _could hide it? That way Morven won't be able to get it again."

Lugia didn't move forwards to take the Silver Wing.

"Or I could give it back to Chuck?" Kaida tried. Feeling frustration rise in her, she snapped, "Well I don't know! I just don't want to control some super power Pokémon. Not like this."

Then Lugia did begin to move, but it wasn't towards her. It tucked its wings into its body and the blue spikes on its back moved to become streamline. It plunged back into the water, with hardly a ripple, and it was gone. This was such a contrast to its arrival – with rumbling and shaking and noise – that Kaida stood there, blinking in the darkness, for quite some time.

Then, finally, she released Cyndaquil again. Its time in the Pokéball seemed to have allowed it to recover somewhat as it leapt into her arms immediately. She hugged it fiercely for a few moments before setting it on the ground and asking it to light its flame again. After this, Kaida and Cyndaquil walked slowly back towards the tunnel and began to stagger back up the steep steps.

She had travelled a considerable way – she couldn't remember it being such a distance the first time – before she saw another light moving towards them. She was anxious for a moment before she heard voices that were definitely feminine and, eventually, Jasmine and Nila appeared. They both looked filthy – although Kaida was probably in a similar state – and Nila had a dirty graze on one of her cheeks. Jasmine's hair was a little wild but, apart from this, she looked fine.

"Hey," Kaida said hoarsely, swaying slightly. All that drowning really wasn't good for a person. Plus, the cold was really getting to her and her teeth had started to chatter. "What happened?"

"We could ask you the same," Nila said, inspecting a blossoming bruise on Kaida's arm and looking extremely displeased. "This looks like a hand? Do I have to kill Morven?"

"Kill him even more?" Kaida laughed weakly. "Seriously… Did he leave?"

Nila took pity on Kaida and she and Jasmine stepped either side of her and supported her. It was slow process with the two effectively dragging her up the stairs but at least Kaida got to hear the story of Morven running up, returning his Steelix and running off.

"We were a bit more concerned about you than him," Nila said. "Otherwise Jasmine would have taken him down."

Jasmine blushed.

"Her Steelix _crushed_ his," Nila said, sounding very happy and very morbid at the same time. "It was impressive. Too bad you missed it."

"Yeah, well," Kaida said dismissively. "Kind of busy."

Nila snorted. "You don't say."

Once they reached the top of the stairs they collapsed in the cavern for a rest, sticking to the tunnel entrance way in case a few more pieces of loose rock decided to come smashing down on them. It looked a complete mess, Kaida thought, with piles of rock _everywhere_. The rumbling seemed to have affected them too, which wasn't too much of a surprise really.

"Morven started to summon Lugia," Kaida said, "but I got the Silver Wing and controlled it instead."

That was the very condensed version of the story at least.

"You beat him up?" Nila asked. She looked positively gleeful at the thought, which was a scary expression on her. "He's like three times your size…"

"Hit him in the balls," Kaida explained.

Nila sniggered. Jasmine looked a cross between amused and concerned.

"Then I told Lugia to go away," Kaida said tiredly, leaning up against the tunnel wall. "I mean, he said why couldn't he control it? It was just the same as other Pokémon… But it's not…"

"No," Jasmine said firmly, surprisingly Kaida with her forcefulness. "It's not. You were right to send it away. Lugia – all legendaries – are so much more powerful than people that it is always a bad idea for them to be controlled. Yes, some people can be trusted, but most people can't. In a way we are fortunate that these powerful Pokémon tend to avoid people, otherwise imagine the destruction they could cause in the wrong hands."

Jasmine finished her short speech with the eyes of Kaida and Nila upon her. She seemed to realise what she had said and became shy again. Her cheeks tinged red and she looked away nervously.

"Um," she muttered. Her voice was soft again. "Well, er, well done."

"Thanks," Kaida said. She closed her eyes as she stayed leant against the uncomfortable rock. She was so tired… She just wanted to fall asleep right there…

But Nila, the devil woman, slapped her leg and forced her to get up. They stumbled back the way they had come from, and Kaida was greeted with Steelix as an unconventional lift, and finally emerged from the caves to see one boat again, although it was a different one than before. Morven must have made his escape on his and _this_ had to be Jasmine's.

"Uncle," she said happily, greeting the short fat man at the helm.

Her uncle helped them get on and dry, wrapping towels around them and giving them all a change of clothes. Kaida and Nila then collapsed down on the seats as her uncle pulled the boat away.

"I'm shocked you lot didn't drown," her uncle said frankly, as he peered carefully out to sea. "It takes a skilled sailor to navigate these waters!"

"Less skill, more powerful Dewgong," Nila muttered.

"And dumb luck," Kaida added. Her stomach lurched again. Oh, _not again_. She had been fine for the first few minutes on the water because she had been so horribly cold and distracted by all her aches and pains. Now the seasickness was back again in full force. Urgh. It was a miracle she hadn't heaved. She looked over and saw Nila glaring at her and realised the answer to that: perhaps Nila's threats about throwing her in the water still applied.

"I don't get it," Kaida moaned.

"Why you're sick?" Nila said dryly.

"No," Kaida snapped, glaring at Nila. She knew that was the fault of the evil, evil water that hated her and wanted her dead. "No, I mean, there were stairs in that place… That doesn't make sense. Did people go there?"

"It was created by a legendary," Jasmine replied. "It doesn't have to make sense."

"Why would Lugia want a human to get _access_ to it? Surely it would want a roost that no person could get to," Kaida pointed out, confused.

"Maybe it hasn't completely given up on humanity yet," Jasmine's uncle said, with a booming last.

"Or maybe it is stupid," Nila muttered darkly.

"And there was loads of rumbling and shaking when it came but not when it left," Kaida added.

"Well, it was probably happy to leave and not so happy to be summoned," Nila continued pessimistically.

Although, in actuality, Kaida found this remark did make sense.

"And why didn't it take the Silver Wing from you?" Nila continued. "That's pretty stupid too."

Jasmine shook her head. "According to the legends, um, Ho-oh and Lugia shed the wings and can't take them back."

Kaida wondered what 'shedding' the wings meant really because clearly the wing had not come from Lugia. The feathers couldn't even come from Lugia. It had to mean something symbolic.

"That makes a bit more sense," Nila allowed.

Cyndaquil snuggled into Kaida's belly and Kaida patted it as she drew her blanket closer. Urgh. And the sickness came back as the boat started to turn around. It was awful!

"Where are we going?" Nila asked. "This isn't the way to Olivine."

"No," Jasmine's uncle said. "This is the way to Cianwood. Jasmine spoke to Chuck and said she'd take you all there. Then I'll go back and get your stuff if you want to stay there. It's the least I can do after you saved us all from that crazy boy."

"Can't Rina and Flo just bring it over?" Kaida asked. As reluctant as she was to trust them with her belongings, she didn't want to put Jasmine's uncle to too much trouble.

"Well, not really," Jasmine's uncle said.

Kaida was about to ask why when the hatch to the lower deck of the boat flung open and there chirpy voices and yelps came floating up from below.

"Get off it, Rina!" Flo yelled.

"No!"

"Rina!" Flo whined.

There was a scuffling sound and Flo shrieked. Then her head poked up above the deck and she climbed up the ladder to greet them.

"Hey, guys," she said happily.

Rina climbed up behind her and leapt on Flo's back.

"My cookie!" she said, trying to bite Flo's hand.

"Argh!" Flo squealed. "It's mine!" She raised the cookie to her mouth and slobbered all over it. This didn't put Rina off in the slightest so Flo was forced to scoff it down. "Umff! Mine!! Ow!"

Nila's expression was pained. Kaida expected that hers mimicked it. She was tired, wet, hungry, aching, and seasick, and now Flo and Rina were there, squabbling in ridiculously high pitched voices.

Great. Just great.


	43. Chapter 43: the Shuckle and the Pain

**43. The Shuckle and the Pain  
**

Chuck prodded the Silver Wing with his good hand. He lifted it up and examined it. His large face creased. Finally he exploded, "This tiny object can summon such a great and powerful Pokémon! It is amazing." He stood up and beat his arms on his chest. "I am so grateful to have this back! I will not let this be stolen again!"

Rina and Flo looked a little intimidated by Chuck's personality – and size – and so hovered by the door. Nila and Kaida had rapidly acclimatised to his presence and so were prepared for his outburst. Jasmine hid a shy smile and looked amused by it all. Chuck's wife, on the other hand, was not impressed.

"Sit down, you moron! You're going to hurt something else!" She turned and smiled at the visitors. "I'm going to make spaghetti. Who wants some?"

It was sort of amazing how much a large man was cowered by his wife. Miho was really a formidable woman. They all nodded gratefully at the offer and thanked her. She smiled sweetly.

"And the trials you went through to recover it," Chuck said, his eyes gleaming.

"Damn right, the trials," Nila muttered resentfully. "I got knocked unconscious by her thick skull. She was fine! I started bleeding…"

Kaida sighed. Now that they were both all right, and had been checked out in the hospital, Nila would not let that go. "Wuss," she mumbled back.

Nila glared.

Chuck ignored their whispered conversation and continued, elatedly, "If I only I had been there…"

"Hem." Miho coughed.

Chuck's eyes bugged in alarm. "But I wasn't… I was here! Resting…"

Miho nodded, looking satisfied, and walked off to start the cooking.

"I, um, have to return to Olivine," Jasmine said quietly. "Uncle will be here soon with your things… Um… If we go down to the harbour…"

Promising to Miho that they would be back for dinner, they left Chuck with the Silver Wing and went down to the harbour to collect their bags from Jasmine's uncle. They thanked him once more and Jasmine told Kaida and Nila that she hoped she would see them soon for Nila's rematch and Kaida's first gym battle against her. After their goodbyes, they went back to Miho and Chuck's temporary residence, the house of his brother's, where they were going to be staying while in Cianwood.

"Miho says I can get back to fighting gym battles soon," Chuck said eagerly as Miho put out the food, "but I'm not allowed to do any activity myself that involves my arms."

"Oh," Kaida said, disappointed.

Everyone looked at her questioningly.

"Well, I was hoping you could teach me some self defence," Kaida explained, accepting a plate from Miho. The spaghetti smelt delicious. "I was a bit useless against Morven and I wanna be able to beat him up if I see him again…"

"Oooh." Flo jumped in. "Me too!"

Rina joined the bandwagon. "Me three!"

Kaida scowled. They wouldn't get any work done if those two were there, messing around. She had hoped that it would just be her and Nila. Although now it didn't look like it would be any of them.

Miho sighed. "Well, I suppose he could do some basic moves if he's _very careful_. I might have to supervise."

An enormous grin crossed Chuck's face and he punched the air. "Oooargh! I will have you in fighting shape soon… Ow!"

He had punched the air with his sprained wrist and had been a little too violent. He cradled it sadly. His pain was doubled when Miho smacked him around the back of the head.

"I told you not to get carried away!" she said fiercely. "You're going to make it ten times worse!"

Chuck looked sheepish. It continued to be a bizarre expression on him.

"We also need to find Allan," Nila reminded Kaida.

Ah, yes, Allan. He had helped them get one over John, as part of Kaida's revenge, by hitting on him in the gay bar. Now they owed him a date and, considering how much of a pervert he was, it wasn't going to be with either of them.

"Flo, we've got you a date," Kaida declared.

Flo's eyes popped open. "Really?!" Then she frowned and asked suspiciously. "Wait, why would you do that?"

"Trust me," Nila drawled. "We didn't _want _to set you up on this date."

"Yeah," Kaida lied, nodding her head, "he saw your picture and absolutely insisted."

Flo flushed under the praise. "Oh," she said apologetically. "Sorry guys. In that case…" A giant grin split her face in two. "I have to find an outfit!"

Pushing aside the rest of her food, she dashed away from the table. They heard her feet pattering up the stairs towards her room. The others at the table blinked.

"Um, sorry for that," Kaida said to Miho, a little afraid she'd be annoyed that Flo had run out on the meal she had cooked for them.

"It's fine," Miho said, waving a dismissive hand. "She's young and excited about a romantic date. I remember those times." Her expression was fond but it quickly hardened. "Now I'm lucky if I get a card on our anniversary."

Chuck, who had continued to shovel his food down obliviously, grunted in pain as she stomped on his foot.

When Rina went upstairs later she found Flo with her face inches from the computer screen. Her hazel eyes were wide and her mouth open slightly as she scanned the web page open before her. Togepi sat on the floor, clapping its hands joyfully as Wooper investigated behind the computer desk.

"Are you on those creepy web pages again?" Rina asked.

Flo turned to look at Rina. Rina's round eyes were scarily wide and she had a freaky expression on her face to top it off. Her eyebrows were raised, her mouth in an 'o' shape, and her cheeks were, somehow, puffed out. Flo shuddered and turned away. That face would haunt her nightmares for the foreseeable future…

"I'm looking up dating tips," she admitted, her ears reddening with embarrassment. "They aren't very useful. They say stuff like stubble is trouble because you can get stubble rash."

Rina released the air from her cheeks and touched her chin thoughtfully.

"Don't talk about previous boyfriends," Flo said, once again reading the screen. "Well," she murmured. "That's not a problem…"

"I don't get this," Rina said. "You need tips?"

"It is a very difficult business," Flo said primly. "You wouldn't understand. You'd be completely rubbish at it. I mean, back in Olivine…" She didn't feel she needed to continue her train of thought: Rina's actions on Flo's date with Andrew sort of spoke for themselves.

Togepi made a giggling noise from underneath the desk and, in the next second, the computer screen flickered and died. Flo flung herself backwards, looking to Rina automatically to see if the purple-haired girl was to blame. Rina, however, was staring dazedly out of the window. Her eyes were completely glazed over and she wasn't near or touching anything incriminating. Flo looked down to the giggling Togepi and saw the cause of the computer's abrupt shutdown.

Wooper was behind the computer and had happily tugged out several wires. As she watched it pulled out the remainder and then looked up at her innocently. Flo glared. That Pokémon was always getting into trouble. It was lucky it was so cute. She scooped Wooper up and tried to put the wires back in. Unfortunately, it was all a foreign language to her and she was still trying to jab them back in when Nila and Kaida came up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Kaida asked, peering behind the computer.

Nila joined them. She scoffed and shoved Flo out of the way. "Idiot," she said. "That's the wrong size to go in there…"

"Well, fine," Flo said petulantly. "But the others are all the same size! I couldn't tell where they went."

The look Nila gave her probably had to rank on Nila's top ten scornful moments and that was saying something. "They're _colour coded._ Are you colour-blind?"

"Um, no?"

Nila rolled her eyes and went jabbing the wires back into the correct places. A minute later she had the computer up and running again. Flo kept a tight hold on Wooper in case it decided that pulling out wires was its new, fun game.

They called John and Reid to inform them of the recent events. The pair was still travelling towards the Miltank Farm but commented that they managed to cover a lot more ground by themselves. This hit seemed to be directed at Rina and Flo rather than Kaida and Nila so the latter pair let their mutterings about slowcoaches slide.

They all went to sleep, crammed into the spare room with Flo and Rina on the twin beds and Nila and Kaida in their sleeping bags on the floor. Cyndaquil tucked itself around Kaida's head and Togepi snoozed next to Flo. Everything was peaceful until…

"_NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!"_

Nila shot up in her sleeping back with wide, bulging eyes. Her face was wrathful as she turned it towards Rina's bed and, next to it, the bedside cabinet. How had she not noticed? The stupid bobbing Slowpoke alarm clock was there! It was there and, apart from a few scratches, it was in perfect working order. Her eyes narrowed murderously.

"Whaaa?" Kaida mumbled.

"_BROTHA, BRAP IT UP, IN THE HOUSE, IN THE HOOD, BLOOD BLOOD!"_

And what in _Johto _was this awful _rap_? Nila struggled out of her sleeping back and launched herself towards the alarm clock. Resisting the urge to scream at the object in her hands, she stomped out of the room. She had drowned it and thrown it at hard objects. What else was there left to do? She stormed along the hallway, down the stairs, and entered Chuck's brother's personal fitness gym. Spotting some of the heavier weights in the corner, she put the dreaded alarm clock on a bench press. With adrenaline-fuelled strength, present only in the desperate and infuriated, she grabbed one of the heavier weights and started to bludgeon the alarm clock with it. The satisfaction of seeing the screw and joints spilling out on the floor would _almost _make up for the interruption in sleep. She hit it several move times and then dropped the weight to the floor with a heavy thump. She blinked several times. How was this possible?

It was still in one piece. It was still _singing_.

"_NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!"_

"Urgh!" Nila shouted.

She tried to pick up the weight again but it was far too heavy for her. She couldn't even manage to push it back to where it had come from. She gave up after a minute and grabbed the demon alarm clock. She was growing to throw this thing somewhere _far, far_ away. Somewhere Rina would never find it. Ignoring the fact that she was wearing pyjamas, she slipped on her shoes and left the house. It was fortunately only a short walk to the harbour, and nobody was out on the streets, and she could ignore the cold air in her present anger. She reached the sea and threw it as far out as she could and watched it disappear with a plop beneath the waves. Hah. See Rina get it back now! She stomped back to the house, entered, and shut the door behind her. Right. Now she was going back to sleep. Her eye twitched; she'd kill Rina later.

However, an hour or so later, they were all awoken when Chuck charged into their room.

"OOOARGH!" he roared.

Kaida jolted in shock and woke up Cyndaquil. She sat up and peered around blearily. Nila did the same.

"Rise and shine!" Chuck yelled enthusiastically. "It's time to train!" At their blank faces, he added, "You must always be alert and ready for an attack! Come and eat breakfast. I'll start the self defence in an hour!"

Kaida and Nila realised that Chuck wasn't going to take no for an answer and he wouldn't let them go back to sleep so they both climbed out of their sleeping bags. Flo and Rina, on the other hand, did not move. Chuck leapt forwards towards Flo, leant over her, and yelled a war cry in her ear. Flo sat up screaming and cracked her head against Chuck's. Both of them fell backwards.

Nila and Kaida went to get breakfast and take a shower. Rina was _still _snoozing.

An hour later they assembled in the fitness room. They were dressed in the loosest clothes they had and all looked half asleep. Rina actually had a sock caught on one of her ears. Flo removed it with a cough but Rina stared blankly ahead. They then began their training. Expectedly, it was _not_ successful.

With the exceptions of Magikarp and Dewgong, all the Pokémon joined in. This led to chaos. While Chuck managed to keep their attentions for a while, most of the Pokémon were not designed for the combat moves he was trying to teach them and others (such as Togepi) couldn't reach the solar plexus without a ladder. Gastly, with little in the area of a corporeal form, grew bored and shimmered around trying to frighten the living daylights out of all the other Pokémon. Weepinbell hung on a bench press looking suitably bewildered. Psyduck, as usual, curled up in a corner and looked pained.

Rina was the worst, even out of all the Pokémon that could not contribute at all. She smashed into everything and apparently her balance was so rubbish that she couldn't even stand on one leg for any stretch of time, even when holding her ear. Houndour, Growlithe, Eevee, and Flareon watched her and, Kaida thought, if they could raised their eyebrows then they would. They had been resigned to the sidelines for having a lack of fists. Chikorita, on the other hand, did not let this faze it. It joined Cyndaquil and waved its leaf around, trying to look threatening. Somehow Chikorita did manage to succeed, which was quite odd. Perhaps it was knowing Chikorita's often violent temperament which made Kaida a little wary. You never knew when it would release a nasty Razor Leaf.

The two Slowpoke curled up in a corner and slept. Flo, Togepi, and Wooper stood in a line and tried to punch but all failed miserably. Grimer had joined them but it soon started to slid, as discreetly as it could, towards Nila. Its reward was a Swift attack from Sandslash as soon as Nila spotted it.

And Hoppip really did try, but the fact that a gentle gust of wind could blow it away did not work in its favour.

They gave up at lunchtime – although Chuck spoke eagerly of the next day's training – and went into the centre of the town to see if they could find some lunch. Nila ran to the milkshake parlour and ordered several milkshakes, which she sipped contently, enjoying the fresh, cold milk.

Over the road from the milkshake parlour was a clothes shop so, typically, Flo wanted to investigate to see if there was anything to wear on her date. Allan would be picking her up the next evening and so she didn't have much time.

"You have to help me pick clothes," Flo pleaded to Nila and Kaida, who both looked like they'd rather eat mud.

"Uh," Kaida said. "We have to train. On the beach."

They thought it could help with footwork if their Pokémon practised on the soft, moving sand. Being quick and nimble would be essential for the rematches against Chuck.

"I'll be quick," Flo insisted. "Come on, then we can all go there afterwards! Please…?"

Nila glared at Kaida as she caved.

"Urgh, fine," she said, knowing Flo would have whined all night if she didn't agree. "But only ten minutes."

"Twenty!" Flo bartered.

"Fifteen."

"Deal!"

Flo gave a squeal of glee, hugged Kaida so hard her ribs almost cracked, and dashed inside the shop. Nila looked at her watch and started to time Flo. She wasn't staying with that fashion maniac a second longer than she had to.

The shop wasn't actually too bad but Flo did seem to go out of her way to find the most bizarre clothes they stocked. While Nila tried to stop Rina from knocking over displays, Kaida trailed after Flo, huffing as she went. Cyndaquil looked at the bright fabrics in Flo's arms with a little confusion. They hurt the eyes and Cyndaquil far preferred the darker, more sensible clothes of its trainer. It snuggled closer to Kaida.

"It's all so expensive," Flo complained. She didn't have a lot of money.

Kaida's attention had been captured by something else. She wandered over to the counter and picked up a pair of socks. They were ridiculously soft and fluffy and Kaida wasn't even sure they would fit inside a person's shoes. But they looked so comfortable and she had been getting cold feet at night… She checked the price label. They weren't too bad. She decided she would have to get some. She picked up a red and black striped pair and paid for them just as Flo sloped back, sulking, and saying she couldn't afford any of the outfits.

Kaida tucked the socks away in her bag and they left the shop. Flo moped all the way to the beach but Rina was amused by the sea. She acted half her age as she ran out to the water only to scurry back from the waves. She would then follow the tide as it swept out and squeak and back off when the waves rolled back in. Despite the repetitiveness, she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.

Nila released Dewgong into the sea so it could spend some time swimming about. She was wary about Rina releasing Magikarp – the waves were a little rough – but Rina was too preoccupied with running back and forth that she didn't send out any of her Pokémon. Wooper soon joined Rina in her activities but it found it a lot more fun to let the water hit it so it could stomp its feet and splash around.

Houndour had enough trouble staying on its feet on solid land so it was little surprise to anyone that Growlithe had a reasonably easy time taking it down. Gastly whirled around above them, cackling as they slipped or were hindered by the shifting sand. Only Sandslash seemed to be able to adapt; in fact, its movements seemed even quicker, but this could have been in contrast to the other Pokémon who were slower, hampered by the sand.

Rina wandered down the shore in the direction of the town. Wooper skipped behind her, still splashing happily in the water as Rina avoided the lapping waves that came closer and closer to her feet by the second. She was a fair distance from the others when she saw a Pokémon plodding along the shore. It had a yellow neck and legs that poked out of a red shell. Rina veered away from the sea and scrambled up the beach.

As it saw her, it yelped in surprise and retreated into its shell. Rina squatted next to it and tried to peer into one of the holes. There was darkness. Then, suddenly, the little head bobbed out an inch, and Rina fell backwards in shock. When she had recovered she saw that its head and legs were back in the shell. She crawled back towards it. She peered through various holes in the shell and then, in a flash, its head popped out and she jumped violent in shock.

This time she watched it retreat and went immediately back to staring into the holes. When nothing happened she grew bored and poked the shell. _Poke, poke, poke_. It didn't seem to be registering. Rina stuck her finger in one of the holes and waggled it around.

_Hee hee, _she thought happily. This was fun. Then – "OW!"

It _bit_ her. Rina cradled her bruise finger and tried to hold back the tears. That had _hurt_. She glared at the shell but this didn't seem to have much effect either. She poked the shell with more force but only hurt her other hand. Now _both _hands hurt.

While the tears welled up, the Pokémon took the opportunity to scrabble forwards again. Not about to let it get away that easily, Rina stood up and ran after it. Wooper followed with a joyous giggle. Rina and Wooper just caught up with the Shuckle when there was a loud crack and the next thing they knew they were caught in a net. Shuckle retreated into its shell and Rina flailed about uselessly. Wooper shrieked in some delight. Apparently it was still having fun.

The next thing Rina knew, the net was being tugged from the side sharply and they went skidding along the sand. She flailed even more, shaking the net from side to side, but this made no difference. She yelled out and this was more productive because she caught the attention of Kaida, Nila, and Flo, who were now several hundred metres away. They started to chase after her, but whatever was pulling Rina along was too quick and they soon disappeared from her sight. At the edge of the town, where the sands faded to concrete streets, the bundle was picked up by a Machamp and shoved into the back of a van. It was dark and Rina peered around with fearful, wide eyes. Shuckle poked its head out in alarmed confusion as well. Wooper clapped its hands together. This was quite an adventure for the little blue Pokémon.

A while later, Rina and the Pokémon were bundled out of the van and pulled into a decrepit looking warehouse. Machamp dumped them down by a few crates and Rina surveyed the sparse interior with her round blue eyes. It was a bit dusty.

"Who are you?" a man's voice said.

She turned to see a man with slicked back hair and a moustache. He was wearing a black trench coat and hat but he deposited these on a crate to revel a striped jumper and skinny jeans.

"I'm Rina," she said. "Who are you?"

"I," the man said proudly, "am Pokémon Hunter _P._"

It rang a bell. It took Rina a few minutes to realise that Kaida might have mentioned him… She couldn't remember the details… It couldn't have been that important. Clearly she wasn't in 'stranger danger' if Kaida knew him. She was a little confused as to why she had been strung up in a net, dragged along a beach, shoved into the back of a van, and then stashed in a warehouse… Perhaps it was some sort of game. Perhaps it was a weird version of hide-and-seek that Kaida was playing with this man. That made sense. She smiled happily.

"And why, exactly, do you look so happy?"

Rina noticed the man dragged out the vowel sounds on the end of his words. It sounded odd. She giggled.

"It's a game," she said. "I like games."

The man didn't seem like he had a response to that. "Are you, er, how you say…? Ah!" The words came to mind. "Touched in ze head?"

Rina wasn't exactly sure what that meant so she remained silent and stared unblinkingly at the man. It seemed to unnerve him, which was even better, so she continued to stare. Eventually he turned away and gave a delicate cough.

"Zis is not a game," he declared, his back still turned. "I am a fearsome Pokémon Hunter. I 'ave abducted you."

Abducted. That sounded like duck. Rina laughed again.

"How exactly is zis amusing to you?!" the man demanded, whirling around. His eyes bulged impressively. "Do you not _realise_ ze peril zat you are een?"

"Peril." Rina repeated the word. "Peh-reel. What's that?"

The man's moustache bristled. "Eet means zat you are in danger, fool!"

"Oh," Rina said, thinking back to stranger danger. "But you know Kaida."

"Who is zis Kaida?"

"She's short and has red hair," Rina reported. "She gets angry a lot. She likes to cuddle her Cyndaquil. She doesn't like mints."

"You mean," Pokémon Hunter P said slowly, "one of ze girls who foiled my plans last time."

Rina wasn't following. She tuned out and started to hum. The man was even more irked by her not paying attention.

"Now listen 'ere," he began.

"What's your surname?" Rina asked. "If Pokémon Hunter P is your _first name_ then do you have a really long surname too?"

The Pokémon Hunter looked rather overwhelmed by the sudden change in topic due to Rina's scatty mind. His forehead creased. "Zat is not my first name. Pierre is my first name!"

"Pierre is a silly name," Rina said.

"No eet is not!" Pierre said, affronted.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is… Argh! _Silence_!"

He whipped around again and Rina fell silent for a few seconds. Then, mockingly, she copied his accent and muttered, "See-lance!"

He whirled back and gave her an intense glare. Rina narrowed her eyes and glared back. A staring contest commenced. Then Rina grew bored and her face straightened out.

"Can I go now?" she asked.

"Absolutely not!" Pierre cried. "I 'ave kidnapped you. Don't be so ridiculous!"

"But I'm booored," Rina whined. She tugged at the net.

It really wasn't fair. Wooper had slipped through the holes in the net and was running around the warehouse behind the Pokémon Hunter's back and Shuckle had retreated into its shell. It was probably sleeping. Rina wanted to sleep but the ground was too hard. She would have to settle for conversation with Pierre.

"Why am I _kidnapped_?" she asked. "Is this part of the game?"

"Game!" Pierre spluttered. He made several outraged noises before starting again, "Zis is no game. I am 'olding you captive!"

"Oh." Rina still seemed rather confused. "Why?"

"Certainly not by choice," Pierre muttered. He cleared his throat. "I was assigned to capture zis Shuckle for my client. You, unfortunately, got caught in the net too. Since you could 'ave notified the police and caused trouble before my client arrives… I 'ave taken you in as well."

Rina blinked. "Can you let me go?"

"No," Pierre said. "You could go to the police."

"Can you let me out of the net?" Rina pleaded. "It's cold on the floor. I wanna move around!" She widened her eyes at him so they were now at epic proportions. It seemed to freak him out effectively as he cut her free. "Thank you!" she cried happily.

"Don't try to escape or Machamp will stop you with force," Pierre threatened.

Rina sat very still on the crate. Seconds past by. Rina's fingers twitched. She had nothing to do. She was bored. Getting out of the net hadn't helped. She still had nothing to do.

She looked at Pierre and blinked again several times. "You caught Shuckle with a net," she said slowly.

"Yes," Pierre replied, wondering where she was going with this.

"Why didn't you just pick it up?" Rina inquired.

Pierre spluttered indignantly. "I… Zat's just… Eet bites! Eet is a menace!"

Rina's nose scrunched. "Couldn't you get your Machamp to pick it up? Your net wasn't very good if it picked me up."

Pierre spluttered some more. Finally he stuck his nose in the air. "Hmmph. Well, if you must know ze truth… I get very bored. I try to zink of interesting ways to capture ze easier Pokémon, like zis Shuckle."

Rina bobbed her purple head up and down. That made a little more sense. "You could play a game," she suggested. "Then you'd be less bored."

"I don't want to play a game!" Pierre said, outraged by the suggestion. "I like my job."

"Then why do you get bored?" Rina asked.

Pierre turned away and tried to ignore her. He rummaged with several things in his bag, checked his watch, checked his phone, and tied his shoe laces. Rina stood up and walked up behind him. She extended one finger.

_Poke_.

Pierre stiffened.

_Poke_.

"Stop zat!" he ordered, moving away.

Rina trailed after him. _Poke, poke, poke_.

"Stop eet!"

_Poke, poke, poke, poke, poke_.

"What do you want?!" Pierre demanded hysterically, now at the end of his tether.

How was this girl so annoying? He was ready to pull his hair out in frustration. She followed with those creepy round blue eyes and poked and even made sound effects like "pop" and "baa" and all things similar. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Tell me about you," Rina said eagerly, plopping herself back down on one of the crates and staring avidly up at him. "I want a _story_."

Pierre made an aggravated sound. It appeared he had no choice. He had to satisfy this annoying child somehow. He consoled himself with the fact that she would probably be too stupid to inform the police of any important details.

"Fine." He huffed. "A long time ago, Pierre wasn't even my name. I used to–"

"What _was _your name?" Rina interrupted.

"Zat is unimportant."

Rina persisted. "What was your name?"

"All right, all right, eet was Stan." Pierre looked vaguely embarrassed. "I didn't speak in zis accent either. My family were humble country folk…"

"What accent did you speak in?" Rina cut through his tale again.

"Stop interrupting!" Pierre snapped. "Do you want to hear the story or not?!"

Rina meeped and was quiet.

"Anyway," Pierre said, trying to restore his dignity by puffing up his chest. He failed miserably. "I 'ad a boring life. I was a milkman. I delivered milk every day but, unlike my friends, I was never satisfied! I started to get kicks from stealing ze milk. But, zis soon was not enough! I went onto steal Pokémon! Zis continued until eventually I received a job offer as a Pokémon Hunter. Now I am one of ze best!" He swelled with pride.

Rina had bored of the story about half way through and had started to skip around him. Pierre glared at her. He had told his heart-warming story and she wasn't even interested. Well, it was her loss, he thought with a giant scowl that made his curly moustache quiver.

"That looks funny!" Rina said, jumping forwards so she was right in his face. She reached out a hand and _tugged_–

"NO!" Pierre cried.

–and the moustache pulled free. Rina stared at the black blob and then looked to Pierre's reddened upper lip. She looked to the moustache and back to the lip. Back and forth and back and forth. Pierre was stunned. Horror had washed over him. _No_. Someone had found out his secret!

"Haha," Rina said, giggling. She stuck the moustache to her own upper lip. "Doesn't it look cool!"

"Eet most certainly does not!" Pierre said, regaining his composure and swiping the moustache back. He stuck in it on but, without a mirror, he had no way to tell if it was straight.

"Why do you have a fake moustache?" Rina asked, in her annoying, whining voice saved especially for irritating questions.

Pierre's lip – and the moustache – twitched. "I…" But, no. He wasn't going to tell _anyone_ that secret. Not even this impudent, irksome girl. He would take the fact – the embarrassing fact – that he was unable to grow a moustache – not even a smattering of stubble – to the grave. He glared at the small girl.

Then, suddenly, his phone rang. He shoved Rina away from him and picked it up.

"Yes," Pierre said.

"The deal is off," came the voice of his client. "I can get another Shuckle for cheaper. Plus, the police are onto you. I don't want to be mixed up with that Shuckle now."

The _nerve_, Pokémon Hunter P thought indignantly. He had taken on this easy job as a favour and this was the thanks he got. He had been forced to endure the indignity of interacting with the most annoying child in the world. Raged filled him. Well, if that was the case… He could now hear the sirens. It was time to make a quick escape. He'd get his revenge on his client. Nobody backed out on deals with him.

When the police arrived they found Rina sitting on a wooden crate, swinging her legs back and forth, with Wooper tearing around the room, and a Shuckle in its shell on the floor.

"Hi guys!" Rina said happily.

After they all were questioned by the police and handed over the Shuckle to his very relieved owner, they went back to Chuck and Miho's temporary residence for dinner and related the tale to the couple.

"Nila's Houndour didn't trip over for once," Kaida said as she devoured the yummy risotto. "It actually managed to run after the van."

Houndour had performed impressively, managing to track the van as it both sped and trundled through alternating traffic in Cianwood.

"I called the police," Flo boasted, despite the fact that it was as simple as dialling a number on her phone.

Wooper sat on her lap and she fed it treats to help it through the 'trauma' of being kidnapped. She didn't seem to realise it had had one of the most exciting days of its life and it was about as traumatised as a plank of wood could be.

Rina had been extremely unhelpful to the police, but at least she'd made the others laugh with the back story to Pokémon Hunter P.

"Stan." Kaida chortled. "And a fake moustache. He probably can't grow one."

"Why would anyone give up being a milkman?" Nila wondered.

"You'd get fired because you wouldn't deliver the milk," Kaida said.

Nila nodded. That was true.

"Shuckle is funny," Rina said randomly. "I want to see it tomorrow."

Kaida, Nila, and Flo all gave her strange looks. They had seen the bruise it had given her – although none of them blamed Shuckle one bit for its reaction – and wondered why she would want to grow through that pain again.

Chuck, however, had a different opinion. "Of course!" he roared happily. "Those who fight together, stick together!"

Rina nodded happily in agreement, even though she wasn't really listening.

Kaida and Nila and Flo wondered how 'strong bonds' could be formed when, according to Rina's account, Shuckle had stayed tucked in its shell the whole time. They decided not to ask. The food was too good to keep talking. They'd have to take a picture and send it to Reid to taunt him. He was far away; he couldn't kill them for it. It was a foolproof plan.


	44. Chapter 44: seer, date, disaster

**A/N: **This could be the last chapter up for a while because, while chapters 46 and 47 have been written and 48 is in progress, there is no chapter 45! It's really hectic at the moment so not much time for writing. We will try to finish it ASAP.

Anyway. Read and please review. Comments/suggestions/criticisms...?

* * *

**44.**

"Fluffy socks, fluffy socks, how do they make you feel…? Fluffy socks, fluffy socks, they're just so waaarm!"

Flo gave Kaida a very disturbed look. She had not expected this randomness to come out of _Kaida's _mouth. Rina might be caught humming random songs and Flo had been known to, er, indulge in ditty or two, but Kaida never normally sang. This was probably for the best, Flo thought, because Kaida wasn't very good at it. She had better stick to Pokémon training.

Kaida looked down at her feet, clad in her red and black striped socks, and looked extremely contended. Cyndaquil was on her lap, and Flareon and Growlithe sat either side of her, so she was warm and happy. The socks worked wonders. She wiggled her toes. They were so soft and fluffy and comfortable… She needed more! Plus, it was a bit of a squeeze, but she could get her shoes on over them. They were perfect.

What Kaida failed to notice was Rina poking Psyduck, whose expression was growing increasingly more agonised by the second. At any second it would explode...

"All right," Nila said wearily. "Time to go."

Rina leapt away from Psyduck at this and tried to dash out the door. Nila grabbed the back of her scarf to stop her from running off by herself. After the events of the previous day, no one really trusted her by herself. Her track record hadn't been amazing before she was kidnapped – however inadvertently – by Pokémon Hunter P, or, as Kaida now preferred to call him, Stan.

They sloped down the hill to the house of the man they had met briefly the other night. He greeted them quite eagerly and offered them tea and biscuits. Flo accepted the tea while the others turned him down. They all accepted the biscuits. There was a vast selection and Nila amused herself by stealing all of the custard creams and eating the insides. She surreptitiously dropped the rest of the biscuit into the bin afterwards.

"Shuckle goes on the same walk everyday," the man, Maurice, said. "I'm too old to keep up now so I can't go with him. Such a shame…" He stared desolately into his tea cup for a few moments and they wondered if they needed to poke him. Fortunately Kaida gave a small cough and it seemed to snap him back to life. "Yes, such a shame… Shuckie's very energetic." They all eyed the Pokémon, who had moved about two inches in the last ten minutes. "He needs to be out and out, not cooped up with an old man like me. But what if those men try to steal him again?" The man dunked a hefty chocolate biscuit into his cup. "No, no, that won't do…"

Rina, her mouth stuffed with all the cookies on offer, crouched on the floor next to Shuckle and started to pull faces at it. Flo looked at Rina in some horror and went back to sipping her tea, trying to look dignified and sophisticated whilst drinking it, even though it really didn't taste very nice. She dumped a few more sugar cubes into it but this didn't help.

"You know," Maurice said. "I have an idea."

Flo leant forwards to listen intently. Kaida and Nila were nibbling on biscuits and trying to look interested. They snorted when they saw Flo's eager attempts to impress the old man. Really? He had to be about eighty. What was wrong with her taste?! On the floor, Rina poked a biscuit through one of the holes on Shuckle's shell. Shuckle snapped it up and Rina laughed.

"What a delight," Maurice said, looking at Rina fondly, which seemed to cause a flash of annoyance on Flo's face. "I know. Young girl…" Rina looked up. "I have an idea. You should keep my Shuckle."

"Me?" Rina squeaked.

"Her?!" Flo protested.

"Well," Maurice said, "you seem to have developed a strong bond with it." At this precise moment, Shuckle poked its head out and nipped Rina, annoyed by her distraction and the sudden pause in food coming its way. Maurice ignored this. "Yes," he said happily. "Besides, you saved it from that evil man…"

Kaida and Nila both choked and raised their eyebrows. Rina had sat there and annoyed her kidnapper with constant questions. She hadn't even thought about escaping herself, let along rescuing Shuckle.

"It's perfect," Maurice declared. "I'm getting old. I can't keep Shuckle from being stolen now. But you can. Shuckie is yours!"

He gave Rina Shuckle's Pokéball and patted her on the head. They ate a few more biscuits before leaving. Flo had a dark scowl on her face for all this time.

"Aw," Kaida taunted after they left, delighted to be able to tease Flo for once. "Flo's all jealous that the old man liked Rina."

"I'm not!" Flo objected.

"Her little crush was unrequited," Kaida said, cackling.

"I didn't have a crush!" Flo insisted angrily. "Kaida! I hate you!"

Kaida ran off, still laughing, avoiding Flo's attempts to hit her. Meanwhile, Rina held the Pokéball with Shuckle in happily and nattered to a very uninterested Nila.

"I'm going to call it Shelly," Rina announced.

"It's a boy," Nila said, raising her eyebrows. "Plus, the old man called it Shuckie. You can't change its name now."

"Yes, I can," Rina said obstinately. "It's Shelly, Shelly, Shelly."

Flo had stopped chasing Kaida – the red haired girl was too quick – and had returned to Nila and Rina. She looked confused. "Wally, Wonky, and Shelly." Those were some strange names. "But what about Magikarp? He doesn't have a name."

"Yes, he does," Rina told them. "He's called Goldikins." They had reached Chuck's brother's house so Rina decided to release Magikarp in the kitchen sink, which was a terrible idea as it didn't really fit and flailed around rather uselessly. "Goldikins!" she cried, hugging the Magikarp.

Nila, Kaida, and Flo privately thought this was a terrible nickname. Magikarp quite agreed. It glared at its trainer. How it hated its life…

Noticing the glare, Flo inched away. This made Magikarp feel a little better. At least one person was scared of it.

"Why is Magikarp in the sink?"

The question came from Miho, who had just entered the room.

"Because Rina is an idiot," Kaida and Nila replied in unison. They gave each other funny looks but then shrugged. The answer had been obvious.

"Where's Chuck?" Flo asked.

They hadn't heard him so it didn't seem like he was in the house.

Miho frowned disapprovingly. "He's on the beach. Training." She rearranged some flowers in a vase beside her and looked like she might like to throw said vase at him. "He's infernally stubborn." She looked back at them. "Training his Pokémon only, of course, or he knows what sort of trouble he'll be in." She brightened up as a sudden thought struck her. "Why don't you go down there and make sure he's behaving. I'll pack you some lunch."

Rina couldn't wait to get to the beach so she started to munch her food as they walked down to the sea. This meant she walked very slowly, which even annoyed Flo, who wasn't exactly known for being quick. Nila and Kaida both wondered if Shuckle could move faster than Rina's food-eating rate and that was one slow Pokémon.

Chuck was performing several kicking moves when they reached him but he stopped abruptly, presumably realising that Miho had sent them to check in on him. His eyes widened briefly and then he said, "Just warming up the legs. I'm not using my arm at all." They all raised their eyebrows and took note that his wrist support was on the ground. Chuck tried to pick it up and put it back on discreetly but he failed. "Anyway!" he continued, his voice growing louder by the second. "My Pokémon are ecstatic to be back to training!"

Machoke, Primeape, and Poliwrath all strutted around the beach behind him, occasionally lashing out rapid attacks against each other.

"Ooargh!" Chuck roared. "That's it! Go on, Primeape!"

Primeape looked like it was near enough working itself into a frenzy.

"We should battle!" Chuck said with fervour. "Right here on the sands!"

It was clear he had missed Pokémon battles a lot, even with only a very short ban from them, judging by the slightly crazed look in his eyes. He sort of resembled an angry Primeape; it was very intimidating. They all took an involuntary step backwards.

"Nila," Chuck yelled. "Battle my Primeape again with that Sandslash! We'll see how much you've improved!"

"OK?" Nila tried, warily. Even if she had wanted to reject the offer, she wasn't sure if she would have dared. She sent out Sandslash and hoped that Chuck's Primeape was a little less crazy than its owner at the present moment otherwise Sandslash was in for a thrashing.

She thought hard. Sandslash had lasted against Primeape in the previous battle because of its naturally high defence against Primeape's physical attacks. Still, Primeape clearly had a lot more experience in battle and, after Sandslash had landed a critical strike, its attack had exploded with power in its rage. Still, things _were_ different, Nila mused. Now they were on the sand.

"Come on, Sandslash," she encouraged. "Use the sand."

"We have trained endlessly on this sand," Chuck boasted.

Nila just had to hope that wasn't quite enough then. Sandslash was _born _in sand. It had a natural advantage.

"Sandslash, use Sand Tomb!" she ordered.

Nila saw the confusion on Kaida's face at this move. Nila had used Sand Tomb to open her first match with Chuck and Primeape had fought free. Then Kaida's face cleared as she worked it out.

"Use all the sand available," Nila ordered.

It was working. With sand beneath them, Sandslash's attack only grew stronger, sucking Primeape down and trapping it. Primeape struggled to get free and its expression contorted with the effort. Sandslash, however, was having an easy time controlling its attack now it wasn't in a gym with a solid floor. It fired Swift into the melee and Primeape grunted as the flying stars hit it.

"Break free, Primeape!" Chuck ordered, beating his fists to his chest. He then groaned in pain as he hurt his wrist again.

Miho was _not _going to be impressed.

Sandslash couldn't hold the attack forever and eventually Primeape pulled its way out, charging at Sandslash. Sandslash leapt backwards in the nick of time, hitting out with its claws in a Slash move.

However, not all of the battle was going Sandslash's way. Primeape managed to attack it with Fury Swipes, causing Sandslash to tumble. But, when Primeape tried to land a Karate Chop on its foe on the ground, Sandslash had already rolled away and was on its feet, evading the attack skilfully. It used Sand Tomb again and Primeape was sucked down. While it was more prepared this time, it was also weaker, with its stamina already depleting. Sandslash fired Swift to hit Primeape again and this time was rewarded with an angry roar.

Primeape hadn't gone into a frenzied rage, which was a positive, but it did look angry when it finally dragged itself out of the Sand Tomb and encountered a Slash attack from Sandslash. It struck hard and fast, taking advantage of the fact that Sandslash had moved into its physical space. Two Karate Chops were landed and Nila's stomach clenched. Was this going to be the end of it?

No. Sandslash blocked Primeape's fist with one claw and used Slash with the other. It continued with a Swift in Primeape's face so it could duck away and ready itself for another volley against the larger Pokémon. It met the seething Pokémon head on but then ducked and weaved, sliding across the loose sand to avoid Primeape's blows and land its own Slash attacks.

They went on, exchanging blows from Fury Swipes and Slash. Occasionally Primeape would land a Karate Chop but Sandslash would recover and dodge the next few moves. The sand was definitely working to Sandslash's advantage as Primeape was slowed by the moving grains. The fists and claws smashed together but both Pokémon refused to back down, continuing to land blows on the other. Chuck looked immensely satisfied as he instructed his Primeape to perform more fighting moves. Nila was starting to worry for Sandslash. It had a high defence to counter Primeape's attack, but it couldn't go on like this forever.

"Use Sand Tomb," she ordered.

Sandslash obeyed and used Sand Tomb once more, but Primeape leapt up, high, to avoid the attack and it looked like it would come crashing down on Sandslash. Sandslash moved backwards about a metre at the last second and held its ground, sucking Primeape into another Sand Tomb at the last second as Primeape hit the floor. It couldn't jump again immediately and lashed out just in time to land a blow that sent Sandslash crashing backwards. The Sand Tomb whirled around Primeape as Sandslash struggled back to its feet. It was tired now from its sparring but Primeape was too. It crawled out of Sand Tomb as the attack began to dissipate but made no move to stand up. Finally, exhausted, it fell to the floor.

Nila patted Sandslash on the head and it almost buckled from the simple touch. Chuck had rushed over to Primeape and they all raised their eyebrows as he embraced the defeat Pokémon.

"Those moves!" he roared happily. "We can only improve!"

He returned it to its Pokéball and turned to face Nila. The crazy light in his eyes had not been diminished by fighting; it had in fact increased.

"Later on, I will bestow the Storm Badge on you," he cried, elated. "Until then…" He swung around and set his sights on Kaida. "More battling!"

"Um," Kaida said. "Yes?"

Chuck threw his arms up in the air.

They were interrupted when a furious voice sounded.

"I knew you weren't taking it easy!" Miho said, stomping up to Chuck and slapping him around the back of the head. She turned her eyes on the girls, who shrunk back. "I don't blame you," she assured them. The gaze went back to Chuck and hardened. "I know it is impossible to stop this idiot." She grabbed his wrist. "Look at how dirty you've made this wrist support! It's fraying! Back to the house."

"We will battle later," Chuck assured Kaida, just before he received a kick up the behind from Miho to get him moving. She was muttering about how he was a senseless, moronic brute and how she needed to take a stronger hand with him.

The girls all blanched at her words. They couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Chuck. The feeling faded when Miho turned to them and said, sweetly, with a smile, "Enjoy the lunch I made." Well, they certainly weren't going to stick up for Chuck and risk her wrath. She was so nice to them! Chuck had married her: he was on his own.

Flo wanted to visit the Pokémon Seer. Kaida and Nila scoffed but she insisted and they reluctantly allowed her to drag them north of the main part of Cianwood to a little hut on the outskirts of the town. It was situated just where the town's land met the beach.

"Rina can pay," Flo said happily. "She told me about all it."

So it was Rina who wanted to go. It was going to be a joke, Kaida thought.

Rina looked unusually solemn. "She can tell you where you got your Pokémon from."

Kaida and Nila both frowned.

"I know where I caught my Pokémon," Nila said. "That comes with the territory of _catching it_."

Rina shoved them inside the house.

There was a sign instructing them to take their shoes off at the entrance so they did before progressing. There were curtains and drapes everywhere and they had to push through layers of fabric lines with tinkering bells to get anywhere. They entered the main part of the room, which was predominantly purple, and saw an old woman sitting on a pouffé in front of a low lying, circular table. There was incense burning on the table, which had a pleasant aroma until they grew closer and it became stifling and Flo started to choke. There was also another smell, which was not immediately identifiable, and didn't seem to have a source.

"What's that other smell?" Flo wondered. Her voice was hushed so the woman did not hear.

"Weed," Nila said immediately.

"Weed?" Rina's head cocked to one side.

"She probably hid it under the table when we came in," Kaida muttered.

Nila stifled a laugh.

"I don't get it," Rina said, her voice a little louder than necessary. Flo elbowed her in the ribs in warning and she continued in a quieter voice. "What's weed?"

"A drug," Kaida hissed. "We talked about this."

Rina still looked blanked. Kaida sighed. Sometimes she wanted to bash the girl's head to try to knock some sense into her. She didn't think it would work but it might make Kaida feel a little better.

"Weed, cannabis, pot, marijuana, a joint, a spliff…" Kaida gave up, remembering the horrible attempt to explain cocaine to Rina shortly after they had met her.

"I don't–"

"Never mind," Kaida interrupted, knowing Rina was going to complain that she still didn't get it. Honestly. She was eleven. It was as if she had spent the last decade in a box.

The seer was an old woman with volumes of grey hair that cascaded down her shoulders and back. She wore a headband encrusted with glittering jewels but, in one place, it seemed the jewel had fallen off, and there was a little blob of glue remaining. She wore robes of many different colours, the primary ones being green, blue, and purple, and they all faded into each other. With a little more red and yellow she would be a tropical nightmare, Kaida thought, and she wasn't so keen on Flo seeing the outfit. She might want to purchase a similar one.

The seer gestured to the pouffés in from of her. They all took a seat. Cyndaquil wheezed as the fumes came closer so Kaida tried to inch away from the strong incense. Across the table, Chikorita sneezed. Togepi, on the other hand, leaned forwards to inhale more. What a strange, strange Pokémon, Kaida thought, as the image of Togepi doing drugs popped into her head. She tried not to giggle. Flo would flip out if she knew what Kaida was thinking. To Flo, Togepi was an innocent little cherub.

"Ah, that Togepi," the Seer said, her voice whispery and mystic. "I see that you had a fateful encounter on Route thirty-four."

"Fateful encounter?" Flo repeated in awe.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a fateful encounter," Nila scoffed. "It hatched from an egg."

Nila was slightly impressed that the woman could tell where the Pokémon had come from but it wasn't exactly a necessary or valuable skill. She remembered people with far more useful abilities, such as Hannah from the bug catching contest in National Park, who had somehow learnt how to recognise which Pokéblocks Pokémon preferred.

"And that Chikorita met _you_," the seer said, addressing Nila, "in New Bark Town. As for the Cyndaquil…" Her face scrunched up and she looked confused for a moment. "It has been traded but you did not meet it where you traded it. It became yours in New Bark Town."

Kaida looked a lot more impressed than Nila but she still wasn't going to jump for joy because it wasn't exactly a revelation. She was a lot more interested when the Seer started to speak again.

"I also have the power to tell what a Pokémon thinks of you," she informed them, lowering her voice for effect. "That Togepi, for example, is a mischevious soul and likes to prank you."

Flo looked highly offended by statement. "I think you're mistaken," she said.

The seer chuckled. She looked at Cyndaquil. "Complete adoration."

Kaida hugged Cyndaquil. That was so sweet! She felt the same way.

"The feeling is certainly mutual," the seer added.

Nila rolled her eyes. As if that wasn't obvious by the way Kaida was smushing Cyndaquil to her face.

"And high respect from that Chikorita," the seer continued, "along with fondness."

Chikorita had looked like it agreed until the seer mentioned it being fond of Nila. It scrunched up its face at this assessment. They got along… Chikorita did preen a little when Nila patted its head. All right, Chikorita allowed, Nila was all right. At least she didn't constantly demand to snuggle, the small green Pokémon thought, eyeing Cyndaquil and Kaida with a little distaste.

Rina made the woman examine all of her Pokémon and she started with her Slowpoke. They had been gifted to Rina in her hometown of Azalea and they had been caught near there too. Rina explained that her brother had caught them before he started on his journey so they had been in the family a long and Wally were apparently both quite content with their owner (probably because she didn't make them do anything) but thought she was a little silly.

Coming from a dozy Slowpoke, Kaida thought, this was quite an insult. She sniggered.

The seer then moved onto Shuckle, who didn't really have much of an opinion about Rina at all, but this wasn't really surprising since they had only recently met. The next up was Magikarp. The seer stood up and let her release the Pokémon in a small pool of water while they crowded around. As they got up and moved to that corner of the room, Nila nudged Kaida and nodded her head in the direction of an object formerly out of their sight. It was a bong. It looked like they might have been right about the drugs because there was no tobacco smell present anywhere.

"This Pokémon," the seer said, shuddering. "It…" She drew back in shock. "Its intentions… Malice and resentment and strife… It is truly a nasty Pokémon."

"See!" Flo said, swelling up. "I told you it was evil."

Magikarp looked at the seer. Finally someone who saw its true potential…

But Rina dismissed it. "Goldikins is just having a bad day."

Magikarp glowered. Foolish mortal! How humans thought they were so clever and superior was beyond Magikarp. It narrowed its eyes at Rina as she returned it to the Pokéball. One day she'd see…

The seer recovered as soon as Magikarp had been returned and she forced Rina to cough up an amount that Kaida was pretty sure had to be extortion. Rina paid happily and they left the house. Flo sniffed her hair and skin and was horrified to find that she smelt of overpowering incense. It was not a nice scent.

"I have to shower," she said, horrified. "My date is soon!"

She sped off.

"I didn't know she could move that fast," Kaida said.

Nila nodded. It was a surprise to her too.

After Flo took a shower to wash away the scent of the Pokémon seer, she had to blow dry her hair. She turned the hairdryer up to its maximum setting – she needed to be quick – and almost burnt her head in the process. She persisted. No pain, no gain, she told herself severely. She needed to look perfect and she could not turn up with wet hair. Her clothes were set out on the bed and she just needed to dry her hair and apply her make-up. After that, she would be ready to go.

It didn't quite work out as planned. Her hair decided to misbehave and, because of the power of the hairdryer, had frizzed to previously unimaginable levels. She got out her straighteners to deal with the mess, but it meant she was running behind. Allan was meeting her in front of the house at eight! She had to be ready.

She started to hyperventilate. After the sharp pains in her chest stopped her from continuing to straighten her hair, she had to take deep breaths and try to calm herself. It was all going to be fine, she assured herself. She could be a little late. It would be fashionably late. She eyed the outfit on the bed. Oh, yes. It would be _very _fashionably so…

Allan turned up to the house to see a purple haired girl sitting outside.

"Hi, I'm looking for Flo," he said, unsure if he had the right address.

The girl looked up with round blue eyes. "For a date?" she said, with a curious look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm Allan," he said.

The girl stood up. "I'm Flo," she told him.

Allan frowned. She wasn't exactly how Nila and Kaida had described. They had said she was short with light brown hair and a ridiculous fashion sense. Well, he supposed this girl was short, and perhaps she had dyed her hair recently. It had been a little while ago that Nila and Kaida had promised him the date… As for the fashion sense... Allan looked the girl up and down. She was wearing oversized baggy shorts that fell just below the knee with long, yellow socks with different coloured spots that ended just after the knee. That was kind of strange… Meh, he thought. She was sort of cute, if a little younger looking than he had expected.

"Come on then," he said, offering his arm. When she looked confused he held it out further and she finally took it, although she gripped with the very tip of her fingers as if the action still bewildered her. He didn't let this put him off. "I've booked us into quite a nice restaurant so we don't want to be late…"

About two minutes later Flo burst out the door in her special date outfit, which consisted of a strange ruffled skirt of many shades of purple that came in at the knees and a neat blouse. Kaida and Nila had described the skirt as an onion and had said it was hideous, but Flo knew they were just jealous. Still, she had been worried the outfit was a little too formal and so had topped it up with a mustard green body warmer. Nila and Kaida _had_ laughed at this, but Flo knew it looked fabulous. Her face fell when she saw Allan wasn't there. She had sworn she heard voices. Maybe he was late… She sat on the wall and started to wait.

At the restaurant, Rina commenced her social experiment. While she was very nervous about going on a date with this unknown quantity, she had also been intrigued by Flo's assessment that Rina would be a complete failure on a date and dating was incredibly hard. It couldn't be too difficult, Rina thought, as they were seated at a table. She tried to think how to start the conversation.

"You're a boy," she stated.

"Yes…" Allan said slowly, looking a little confused.

Ah, the discussion had started, Rina thought, feeling extremely smug. Now what to say next? As the thought she realised, quite suddenly, that Allan _was _a boy, Oh no. What had she got herself into?

"Mummy says boys are bad," she blurted, "and they want to get into my knickers."

Allan's mouth dropped open.

"I don't think you'd fit into my knickers though," Rina said, tilting her head to examine him. No, he was a bit too big for that.

"Um," Allan replied.

"They're nice," Rina told him. "They have Slowpoke on them."

"Your knickers?" Allan said, stunned. His mind seemed to have stopped and all it could think was, _um, eh, what…?_

"Slowpoke are pretty," Rina continued. "They're warm and cuddly."

"Um." Allan coughed and desperately thought of something to say. "You like Slowpoke a lot then?"

Rina nodded agreeably. "They're cool."

Allan coughed again and picked up the menu.

"So, um, the lobster?" he said. His cool composure had definitely been lost when presented with such a bizarre entity like Rina.

"Does that come with cheese?" Rina enquired.

Allan stared for a moment and realised she was being serious. "Well, I'm sure they can put some on…"

"Then can I just have the cheese?" Rina requested. "The lobster looks weird."

"Um."

"Actually," Rina said, after a slow revelation. "I shouldn't accept food from strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger!" Allan objected.

"Yes, you are," Rina said. Her mind suddenly flashed to her chat with Pokémon Hunter P. "How do I even know your real name?"

"It's Allan!"

"Your eye twitched," Rina said, pointing across the table with triumph. "That means you're lying!"

Allan spluttered. "No, it means _you _are annoying!"

"Oh, really?" Rina smiled happily.

Allan glared. "It wasn't a compliment."

"Nila's eye twitches," Rina added. "I think she'd like you."

"No," Allan said, "she doesn't." Normally he wouldn't divulge the next part, as it was a little off putting to the date, but this _Flo _wasn't exactly a normal date. "I asked her on a date and she said no."

"You got rejected!" Rina exclaimed, almost gleefully. Then, more seriously, she asked, "How did that feel?"

"Well it was a better feeling than being on this date with you," Allan said through gritted teeth.

Rina pouted. "Don't you like my company?" She widened her eyes. "I shaved my stubble for you."

Wait. What?

Rina had also been listening closely when Flo had talked about stubble rash and she hadn't realised it was something a girl could get when kissing a boy. Instead she had worried it was something that could happen on _any _date, just by talking, and so she had found an electric razor in the bathroom cabinet and shaved her chin. She hadn't been able to spot any hairs but had thought it was better to be on the safe side.

Allan, however, didn't know this, and so stared at her in bemused horror.

Rina stared back. Her eyes were round and unblinking.

The seconds went by…

"Argh!" Allan cried. "I can't take it anymore! They promised me a nice date with a loose woman, and what did I get? A weirdo with a beard!" He stood up, shoving his chair back with a loud scraping noise across the shiny wooden floor. "I wanted a date," he said crossly, "not a supernatural experience." He started to stalk off but thought of something else and whirled to leave a parting shot. "Tell Nila and Kaida thanks for nothing!"

He stormed off.

Rina blinked. She tilted her head to one side. Well that hadn't been as hard as she had thought it would be. She wasn't sure why people worried about these dating things… It was really quite easy. They'd finished the date and she hadn't been stabbed and mugged in a dark alley _or _ended up with a boy in her knickers. Her mother had cautioned her about both of those occurrences and neither had happened! Excellent. Now she could go home and snuggle up in bed. It was eight thirty and she was quite tired…

Back at the house, Flo was still waiting outside, checking the time every minute. He was horribly late! That was it. She was going back inside! She shuffled back into the house to find Nila and Kaida watching television with a few of their Pokémon curled around them.

"Date over already?" Kaida asked. It hadn't gone well then…

"He didn't even turn up!" Flo wailed.

Kaida and Nila burst out laughing.

"Do you think he came along, saw you, and left?"

"In that outfit… Wouldn't surprise me."

"But he saw a picture…" Flo mumbled. She looked up and saw the badly hidden smirks on the faces of Kaida and Nila and realised the truth. "I hate you!" Flo screeched. She stomped upstairs. The day – the _date_ – had been a _disaster_! Life just wasn't fair!

Rina sloped in a little later, once again interrupting the television that Kaida and Nila were watching. It had been worth Flo interrupting because they had managed to rile them up, but they didn't want Rina pestering them over nothing, especially since she stepped on Growlithe's tail as she searched for a place to sit. Growlithe yelped and glared at the purple haired girl. Kaida reached to pat Growlithe comfortingly and quietly assured her Pokémon that she'd get Rina back for that. Growlithe settled down but kept a wary eye on Rina, who blundered around for a few more seconds before resigning herself to sitting on the floor.

Rina was actually quiet, which was a little surprising, so Kaida and Nila tried to ignore her. They continued watching their program but Kaida was distracted by the weight of eyes upon her. Kaida's eyes flickered over to Rina, who was staring at them avidly. She shifted and looked back at the television. Maybe Rina would stop. She looked back a minute later. Rina was _still staring_.

"Stop that!" she snapped.

Rina cocked her head.

"Staring," Kaida continued. "It's creepy!"

Nila was blissfully oblivious but, once Kaida had mentioned the staring, she became uncomfortable as well. She glared at Rina. "What?" she demanded. Maybe if Rina got whatever she wanted to say out – quickly – then she would go away and leave them in peace.

"I socialised with an unknown today," Rina informed them.

Kaida and Nila blinked.

"You talked to a stranger?" Kaida said. This was highly unusual. The only time Rina did this was to demand cookies or cheese…

"Allan," Rina said.

"That's not an unknown! We know him," Kaida argued. She sighed. They were missing valuable minutes of the television to listen to this rubbish. "So he did turn up for the date then?"

"Yes," Rina said. "It went well."

"You need a new definition of well," Nila muttered.

Kaida agreed. "He didn't even pick Flo up! How is that a date going _well_?"

Then again, this was Rina. No contact between the participants of a date was probably preferable to her, even if it undermined the whole affair.

"Nooo," Rina said slowly, speaking as if they were stupid. "I went on the date!"

It took a moment for this to sink in.

"Flo is going to kill you," Nila said happily. Aah, sweet carnage. She wouldn't even mind her sleep being interrupted if she could see that explosion.

Kaida was more concerned. "Allan is going to kill _us_."

Personally Nila thought that Flo's reaction was going to be worth the trouble. When Kaida thought more about it, she decided it was a fair trade.

"Why would you do that?" Kaida asked Rina. "You _hate _socialising with people."

"Flo said I'd be rubbish at dating," Rina explained.

"So… You stole her date?"

"I said that I was Flo."

Kaida and Nila exchanged a look. Rina was certifiably insane.

"I was surprised," Rina said cheerfully. "I had quite a good time."

Kaida and Nila looked at the clock. Rina couldn't have been on that date for more than half an hour. Even this estimate was stretching it considering how slowly Rina walked. How could a date that short be considered a _good time_? As if on cue, Kaida and Nila found their phones going off.

Nila raised her eyebrows. "Allan?"

"Yep," Kaida said. "It start off with 'LIAR' and continue to rant for about seven pages?"

Nila nodded as she continued to scroll down and read. The death threats were actually quite creative. She hadn't known Allan had it in him. Then again, spending time with Rina could make the most peaceful person in the world feel at least vaguely homicidal.

"I'm going to bed," Rina announced.

She stood up and wandered towards the stairs. Growlithe was prepared and moved out of the way of her careless feet just in time. Kaida and Nila looked at the television program and then the door. They scrambled to their feet. They could always catch a repeat; Flo was going to blow her top and that was _far_ more entertaining. They reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to hear Flo beginning to screech as she found out the truth.

"YOU… WHAT?!"

-

Many people were in Cianwood wishing to challenge Chuck, yet had been delayed by Miho's demands that Chuck rested after his accident. However, the trainers kept turning up at the house and their persistence wore on her. She grudgingly allowed Chuck to begin battling again so that they would leave her to cook in peace. Chuck trounced a boy and a very startled Beedrill in the morning and was ready to battle Kaida by midday. This time they were to fight on the grass land above the town and Chuck picked Poliwrath again.

Kaida toyed with the idea of using one of her fire Pokémon to battle Poliwrath, as it didn't seem to know any water moves, but in the end she stuck with Gastly. She had been training Gastly since the previous battle and hoped it had grown strong enough to pull off the same tactics. She would Curse, Confuse Ray, and try to endure Poliwrath's attacks. She knew these weren't the best tactics, which was why she was so surprised when she found it working.

Poliwrath finally collapsed to the floor underneath a severely weakened Gastly, who didn't even have the energy to look triumphant. Chuck looked flabbergasted.

"I must train twenty-four hours a day," he vowed.

Miho, who was supervising, poked him sharply in the side. "Well it would get rid of that chubby stomach," she said, with the affection poorly disguised, "but you seem to have forgotten your injury again…"

Chuck spun around to Miho and gave her an enormous hug. "My loving wife… Always taking care of me!"

Miho flailed uselessly midair. Chuck finally put her down and she pushed her hair from her face. "Right. I'll cook dinner."

Kaida's attention was drawn from the scene when Gastly let out a rather peculiar noise. Kaida turned back to see Gastly beginning to glow. Her eyes widened in shock. It was evolving. It grew larger and larger and its shape contorted until, finally, it emerged, reaching forwards with two hands, as a Haunter.

"It's all pointy," Rina commented.

Haunter gave a large cackle and swooped towards her, waggling its tongue. Rina screamed as it reached out for her shoulders and licked her face. So much for evolution changing a Pokémon, Kaida thought. Haunter was just the same as Gastly.

Chuck looked very impressed. "Sometimes you can't invent better strategy for a Pokémon battle, you must just become stronger, as this Pokémon did! Before it didn't have the endurance but it toiled and toiled… Sometimes training is all that matters!" This seemed to get Chuck in the mood for discussing past battles as he turned to Nila. "As for you… You used the same Pokémon to defeat me too! You cunningly used its strengths against me… The environment is a very important factor in a Pokémon battle. This knowledge will serve you well at the Pokémon League!"

He handed Kaida the Storm Badge and she accepted it happily. Deciding Chuck wouldn't mind if she had her explosion of giddiness, she leapt up and down with Cyndaquil.

"Five badges!" She grinned. "Only three more to go!"

She went to hug Nila but decided against it. Instead she hugged Flo, which spoke wonders for her cheerfulness. Flo looked a little confused but hugged her back and even joined her in a spinning victory dance. Eventually Flo started to get a little too into the dance moves so Kaida decided to stop.

They joined Miho and Chuck for one last dinner before they were to head back to Olivine. Miho cooked up about ten different dishes and there was far too much food for them all to finish. Chuck ate a considerable amount but even he couldn't polish off the remainders.

"We really need Reid," Kaida said. She took another picture of all the left over food to taunt him with.

They went upstairs and Kaida and Nila discussed their plans. They had to defeat Jasmine, of course, and then they had a long trek to the final two gyms. They spoke of what they could do along the way.

"I need to teach Haunter different moves," Kaida decided. "It's not really using them effectively. I was researching and generally Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar work well with non-physical moves so it needs to be taught a lot of those." She paused. "Maybe it can learn Flamethrower. Or Fire Blast!"

"I think you _might _need a broader move set than that," Nila said.

"You just want me to teach it Dark Pulse!"

Nila didn't deny it.

"Cyndaquil needs more moves too!" Kaida declared.

At the sound of its name, Cyndaquil jerked upwards. When it wasn't mentioned again, it lowered its head and closed its eyes sleepily. It was so _cute_, Kaida thought, trying to resist the urge to pick it up and hug it. It needed its sleep.

They had to get up reasonably early for the boat so they all went to sleep. Time ticked by until it was five o'clock in the morning and, suddenly, a love ballad filled the room.

"_HAVE MY OWN TEARS INSIDEEE… I DIDN'T MEAAAAN TO MAKE YOU CRY…"_

"I'll make you cry!" Nila roared. She was out of bed in a flash to look around for her arch-nemesis. There it was: the Slowpoke alarm clock. How was this even possible?! She had thrown it in the sea! Instead of going for the alarm clock, she went to shake Rina roughly awake. She shook Rina's shoulders and yelled in her face.

"The cheese monster!" Rina gurgled before snapping awake.

"Die!" Nila said.

Kaida got out of her sleeping bag to try and stop Nila from strangling Rina. She grabbed Nila's arms but the girl was freakishly strong when in a sleep-deprived rage. On the other side of the room, Flo snorted in her sleep and rolled over. She smacked her lips together. She had to be deaf, Kaida thought, to not wake up for _this_!

"Aack!" Rina cried.

"I threw it in the sea!" Nila shouted, continuing her relentless assault.

The pandemonium was finally loud enough to wake up Chuck and Miho on the other side of the house. Chuck charged into the room and, after blinking in confusion for a second, he dragged Nila off Rina. In the background, the alarm clock was still wailing.

"What is that awful noise?" Miho asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Nila struggled against Chuck but she was well and truly trapped. She glared menacingly at Rina. "It's evil! How does it keep surviving?!"

"It was on the beach yesterday," Rina said, rubbing her throat. Slowly, she added, "I did think it was a bit strange it was down there."

The tide, somehow, must have washed the radio alarm clock up onto the shore. Kaida wasn't even sure how it was possible, only that Chuck had got a little distracted and Nila had wiggled free. She charged towards the alarm clock and swung her fist. The alarm clock shattered. Little pieces of metal, plastic, springs, and coils went _everywhere_.

They all stared. Even Nila was shocked. After all the attempts to destroy the thing, it had broken by her _punching _it. Her adrenaline must have made her freakily strong or she had hit the one minuscule weak spot

After Nila promised she wouldn't attempt to harm, maim, or kill Rina, Miho and Chuck went back to bed. The girls returned to sleep. Neither Kaida or Nila saw Rina scooping up the pieces and putting them into her bag…

Chuck and Miho saw them off at the harbour the next day.

"They are going to start rebuilding the gym tomorrow," Miho said, "so come back and see it. Oh, and visit anyway. I'll cook for you."

She had already given them generous packs of food so they thanked her again for her hospitality.

"The new gym will be huge!" Chuck said happily. "As well as a pitch, I want some cliffs and lots of boulders and maybe even a waterfall!"

Miho huffed. She looked pretty resigned to the idea though.

"Good luck," she called, as they boarded.

They waved goodbye from the railings of the small boat they were taking back. It was less comfortable than the cruise ship but it would get there more quickly. They kept waving until Chuck and Miho were out of sight and then Kaida received a message. It was from Reid.

It read: HELP ME.

Kaida's forehead creased. She wondered what the boys were up to.


	45. Chapter 46

**A/N - **

There is no mistake. We are alive.

There is also no mistake with the chapter. This is chapter 46, not 45. 45 has not been completed. However, the story will still make sense: chapter 45 was John and Reid's escapades at Fat Camp. Needless to say, it did not go well.

Since we are rewriting, there will not be many more updates to this story. However, I thought that I should post what we had left anyway. You can look at the rewrite, as it has changes and additions, but if the thought of re-reading fills anyone with dread, but they still wish to continue, I'd advise tuning in about Day 42.

Also, fanfiction seems to have become even more annoying about page breaks, and I think it has taken them all out of this document. I don't have time to go through to fix this now, so sorry for any irritation/confusion caused.

* * *

**46.**

"If Rina is so bad with strangers – except when she's screaming for cookies or something – then how did she make friends with us?" Kaida wondered.

Nila shrugged.

Rina, who was making a mountain of cheese from the cheese and pineapple sticks at the buffet, surprised them both by looking up. Apparently she had been listening. They had thought she was too involved in the cheese and chucking the pineapple at her Slowpoke, who were happily gobbling it up.

"Mum said I had to," Rina informed them. "You did save my life."

"So in gratitude for that… we got friendship?" Kaida frowned and looked to Nila, mumbling, "Some reward…"

"I'd have preferred money," Nila muttered back.

Kaida nodded. Definitely. Then she could have bought more fire accessories when she went to Goldenrod. She looked to her 'Lugia is my homebird' badge. That had been a good day. Back then she would have never envisioned actually meeting Lugia though, even though it had been one of her goals.

"Where did that list of goals go?" Kaida asked Nila. They had written it way before they had set out on their journey. It had been years ago.

Nila shrugged again. "I thought you had it."

It was probably at the bottom of her bag somewhere. Kaida decided she would have to look. She remembered finding it a few days before she had been due to get her starter Pokémon and laughing at some of the things they had wanted to do. Seeing Lugia had definitely been on Kaida's side of it, and she sort of wanted to tick it off, for old time's sake.

The boat moved fairly speedily towards Olivine but Rina still became impatient and bored and went back to her pastime of poking Psyduck, who began to shake its head in distress. Rina giggled. How funny! She poked it harder. Haha.

Rina was found unconscious about twenty minutes later by Flo. Flo looked to Psyduck, who was still standing there with a pained expression, and realised what had happened.

"Well done," she told her Pokémon.

If only it could use its power against other Pokémon and not just Rina... Ah, well, Flo thought. She now got to slap Rina awake. That was satisfying.

As soon as they arrived in Olivine, they went to see Jasmine. She wasn't available to battle in the next few days, which meant they would have time to train before facing her. They went to the Pokémon Centre to get a place to stay for the night before they went to the north of the city to find a suitable place to train. Flo went to the supermarket to get some food for a picnic and then they were ready to go. They were stopped when Nila's phone rang. Nila looked at the caller ID and a puzzled expression crossed her face.

"Hello?" Pause. "Um, yeah, Olivine… You are?" She frowned. "By the Pokémon Centre… Wait… What?"

She pulled the phone away from her ear as the other person hung up.

"Who was that?" Flo asked, leaning over to peer at the phone. This confused Kaida because the call had ended and there was nothing to see. It annoyed Nila too and she shifted her body so Flo fell forwards with a startled, "Aack!"

"Charlie," Nila said. "He's in Olivine with my brother."

"I thought they were in Hoenn," Kaida said, trying to cast back her memory to any conversations she may have had about Nila's brother. What came to mind, however, was the funny but unhelpful lacy underwear incident. Both siblings had denied knowledge of them so it was a bit of a mystery.

Nila shrugged. "Apparently they've taken a trip back. They're coming to meet us."

They waited for another twenty minutes, lounging around outside the Pokémon Centre. A short distance away they saw the brown hair of Hirune – or Kunto – skipping through the crowd with a shape-shifting Ditto beside her. Kaida looked like she might follow the girl but Hirune was lost in the crowd and Kaida sighed in defeat and returned to waiting for Nila's brother. Eventually a head of dark hair came into view and Nila stood up. Kaida grinned and waved. Nila's brother had the same hair and eyes as his sister and, over all, they looked fairly similar. His hands were stuck in the pockets of his baggy jeans and his head was ducked as he walked but, when he saw them, he lifted it and smiled.

"ARGH!"

While they had been looking at Connor, a figure with a bright yellow t-shirt had sneaked around and leapt out behind them. Kaida did jump a little but she was too used to Charlie doing this to feel too much surprise. Flo, however, leapt out of her skin and Rina meeped and hid her head behind her knees. Nila greeted the blond with a glare but this didn't deter him and he grinned from ear to ear and gave her a big hug. Nila was shocked at first as he squeezed her forcefully but she soon recovered and started to beat his back with her fists.

"Let me go!"

"Ah, Nila, you love me really," Charlie said, grinning even more.

"I said _let go_!"

Charlie obeyed but only because he was ready to swoop on Kaida for his next hug. Kaida yelped but he didn't squish her too much: he seemed to realise he was a fair bit bigger than her and didn't want to break her ribs.

"Kaida, I think you've grown!" Charlie declared.

Kaida puffed herself up. She thought that she had too! It was nice of Charlie to notice.

"Yeah, you're not flat-chested anymore," Charlie continued.

"Perve!" Kaida yelled, giving him a punch in the arm.

"I was joking!" Charlie cried as she punched him again. "Honestly! You've grown in height! I swear!"

Kaida glowered for another moment but then decided she'd let him off the hook. He had given her a Charmander plushie for her last birthday and it was enormously cute. He'd also promised he'd get her the Charmeleon and Charizard from the same set. Besides, he wouldn't actually perve on her for a multitude of reasons.

"Who are your friends?" Charlie asked.

Kaida noticed that Flo stood to attention as he looked her at her. She stared avidly at him. Oh no, Kaida thought. She didn't…

"Rina, Flo," Nila informed him. She turned to Flo and Rina. "Charlie, Connor."

Flo was still staring at Charlie. Kaida didn't think Flo had blinked for a few minutes so she stepped on her foot. Flo snapped out of her daze and glared at Kaida.

"Hey," she said, stamping back on Kaida's foot.

Kaida wasn't going to stand for that so she dug her heel into Flo's foot once more and then darted away before Flo could retaliate.

"Why are you here?" Nila asked her brother.

Connor's voice was quiet, which was a contrast to Charlie's loudness. "Charlie has a trade."

Kaida frowned. She thought that people could trade over the Pokémon by Bill's transfer system. They didn't need to meet in person. She voiced her thoughts.

"We're trading items," Charlie explained. "I need an Electiriser." He patted one of his Pokéballs. "It's about time Electabuzz evolved. We need to go meet him soon but... Meet up afterwards?"

"Yes," Flo said quickly. She hadn't taken her eyes off him since he had arrived.

"Cool," Charlie said. He gestured to the Pokémon Centre. "It shouldn't take long. He just wants to make sure my item is legit before we trade. We'll be right back!"

As soon as Charlie and Connor had disappeared into the Pokémon Centre, Flo let out a heaving sigh. She looked completely love struck, eyes mooning after Charlie as left. She gushed, "He's so handsome!" She looked at Kaida for support. "Isn't he?"

"Well, I guess," Kaida said, "but it's a bit hard to find him attractive because he used to throw mud pies at me."

"Don't forget he would throw you in the pond afterwards to clean you up," Nila added helpfully.

Kaida glared at her. Nila had not been very supportive during these times: she had sat on the sidelines and laughed. Charlie had thrown Nila in the pond too, of course, but he'd learnt his lesson fairly quickly with the mud throwing. Nila had _not_ been pleased and Charlie had limped around for a good few hours after she had finished with him.

Flo didn't seem to find this a turn off. Her mind had instead turned to images of Charlie picking _her_ up and whispering sweet nothings to her in the moonlight.

"He's gay," Nila told Flo.

Flo looked shocked for a moment but then she glared. "No way!" she protested. "You can't fool me! You told me that Danny was gay!"

"He was," Kaida said.

"No, no, no," Flo denied. "Stop trying to trick me! You guys are horrible! You just want to ruin my chances."

Kaida gave her an incredulous look. "Why would we want to _ruin your chances_?"

"It's funny," Nila muttered.

"Well, there is that," Kaida allowed. "But, seriously, Charlie's not even fifteen yet and he's had about that many boyfriends."

"Ha ha," Flo said. "Very funny. I think I could tell if he was gay, OK? So stop it. It's not working."

Kaida gave Nila an exasperated look. Well, she thought, as Nila rolled her eyes in response, if Flo refused to listen to them then she was just going to have to learn the hard way. They had tried to warn her and it was now out of their hands.

Charlie bounded back out of the Pokémon Centre, waving the Electiriser elatedly. Connor trailed behind him; his hands were now in the front pockets of his large hoodie. Charlie reached them and grabbed the two nearest people – Flo and Kaida – into a hug. A giant grin was on his face again.

"This is awesome!" he said enthusiastically. "I want to evolve Electabuzz with this baby right away!"

"Not _right_ here," Connor mumbled. "Let's go somewhere else."

"OK," Charlie said eagerly. "Where? We better be quick."

Kaida and Nila told the pair that they had been planning to head north of Olivine to train in the countryside. It was quite a walk up the steep slopes of the city but they'd been further before and it was about midday when they reached the gently rolling hills as the land flattened out. They managed to find a small lake at the bottom of two of the steeper hills – this did not say much for the steepness at all – and they set up camp and started to release their Pokémon.

Nila released Dewgong first, directly into the lake, and it was joined seconds later by an excitable Wooper, who happily sent a Water Gun into the air. Rina also released Magikarp into the water. It slowly swam up and down the shore near to them and, to listen to Flo, it was plotting heavily against them. Rina's two Slowpoke went up to the water but did not enter it. Wally dipped its tail into the water but Wonky didn't seem to have the same tactics in hunting for Shellder as it dipped its face into the water. After a while Wonky seemed to bore of that too and instead rolled on his back; this was a terrible move because its one weak leg meant it couldn't seem to move back into an upright position again. Rina rolled Wonky over but it just rolled back again; she gave up and left the Slowpoke alone.

Connor also released a water Pokémon into the lake and Kaida checked her Pokédex to see what it was. It was small and blue and had a large dorsal fin and tail. Its cheeks were covered with orange spikes. It bounced towards the lake and jumped in, soon joining Wooper in splashing around.

"Mudkip," the Pokédex chirped, reeling off information about the Pokémon. Apparently it was native to Hoenn, which made sense as this was the region that Charlie and Connor were touring.

Rina released her Shuckle, although it did not move an inch and stayed tucked up in its shell, and Flo released her Weepinbell and Hoppip, who hopped around her. Psyduck went down to the shore of the lake curiously but, when splashed with water by Hoppip, it wailed and clutched its head, scuttling away from the water. Flo's Togepi was already out and followed Grimer around, much to Flo's dismay.

"Neither of you have electric Pokémon?" Charlie said, appalled. He turned to Kaida. "What about you?"

"No," Kaida said, releasing her Flareon, Growlithe, and Haunter to join her Cyndaquil.

"Urgh." Charlie pulled a mock disgusted face. "What's your obsession with fire? It's lame."

"Fire is not lame!" Kaida yelled. "Fire is awesomely powerful! It can beat your stupid electric Pokémon any day!"

"How can you even say that?" Charlie demanded. "Think of what electricity has done for us. It runs your household appliances, for example. Do you want to live in a cave?"

"Well if you were in a cave at least you can light a fire," Kaida retorted. "We wouldn't have developed all the fancy electric stuff if we had frozen to death in the winter!"

Charlie scoffed. "Pfft. Times have moved on. Electricity is the way forwards. Think of the awesome power of lightning in a storm. The roar of thunder and that flash of light!" His eyes glazed over. "It's incredible."

"Fire is way better," Kaida disagreed.

"No way!"

They descended into a squabble about fire versus electricity. All they managed to agree on was that rock and ground Pokémon were evil before Charlie started to splash water on Kaida, teasing her about her dislike of the substance.

"Well, at least I can be clean," he said, poking his tongue out.

"At least I won't get fried by my Pokémon when cleaning," Kaida shouted.

Flo watched the childish fight with rapture in her eyes. She sighed romantically and turned to Nila. "He's so gorgeous."

Nila looked to Charlie who, at that exact moment, had pulled his mouth apart with his hands and was waggling his tongue at Kaida, who was chasing him around and trying to hit him for saying fire Pokémon sucked. While she did admit Charlie was generally good-looking, it wasn't the most attractive pose.

Connor ignored his friend and instead released the rest of his Pokémon. The only Pokémon who Nila had met before were his Meganium, evolved from his first Pokémon Chikorita, and his Raichu, who swished its long tail in a happy greeting. Connor had acquired a few new Pokémon in Hoenn, travelling with them instead of some of the older members of his team. Nila recognised Onix, it was a common Pokémon, but she didn't recognise the other two on first glance. One was small and yellow and the other a bird Pokémon. She checked her Pokédex, which told her these Pokémon were called Numel and Swellow.

Nila released the remainder of her Pokémon too. Houndour immediately raced towards Growlithe and Flareon, with Sandslash following behind, but Eevee and Flaaffy stayed by her side as Chikorita wandered off. At the sight of Nila's Pokémon, Charlie stopped fighting with Kaida.

"Flaaffy!" Charlie boomed, startling a lot of the Pokémon. "Wow! One of you lot has some sense to get a good electric type!" He ran towards the Pokémon and began inspecting its fur. "A good example of a Flaaffy too."

Flaaffy was never normally that vain but it did preen as Charlie inspected it. It also showed off by sparking electricity, which just made Charlie rant more about the powerful static. Nila rolled her eyes.

When Charlie released his own Pokémon, no one was surprised to see that they were all the electric type. A small Voltorb rolled away from him, causing Rina to look up and giggle and chase after the electric ball. He then released Lanturn into the water, where it splashed immediately started to nudge Dewgong. Nila was quite surprised to see Dewgong tolerating this. Its evolution had definitely changed the boastful Pokémon, which was quite relieving. Charlie then released Magneton, Electabuzz, and a small green Pokémon that Nila's Pokédex called Electrike, an addition from Hoenn. Finally he released Jolteon.

"What's that?" Flo asked.

"Jolteon," Kaida said. "You've seen it before. The electric evolution of Eevee."

Flo wrinkled her nose. She had thought all the Eevee evolutions were cute, but apparently not. This one was all funny and spiky! She glanced at Charlie and decided she better not say anything to offend him. She didn't want him to dislike her!

"Electabuzz, I got the goods," Charlie said happily, thrusting out the Electiriser.

Electabuzz took the bizarre looking object and examined it. Seconds later, it started to glow and expand in size enormously. When it had finished, and the Pokémon was revealed, Flo couldn't help herself. She shrieked. It was hideous! Luckily Charlie was too wrapped up in cheering about his new Electivire to notice. Kaida, however, raised her eyebrows at Flo.

"Why would you evolve your Pokémon to look like _that_?" Flo whispered, horrified.

"Because it's more powerful," Kaida said. She gave Flo a funny look. All right, the Pokémon had been cuter before, but it wasn't that hideous. Kaida had seen much worse. She said as much to Flo.

"Yeah, like what?" Flo said dubiously.

"Steelix," Kaida said, recalling Jasmine's steel Pokémon. Flo shuddered at the memory of that creepy grin. "And you first thing in the morning," Kaida added.

Five seconds later... "HEY!"

Kaida laughed at Flo's slow reaction. She had been so wrapped up in remembering the ugly Steelix that she hadn't registered the insult.

"I'm ashamed," Charlie said to Kaida. "No electrical Pokémon. Any electrical moves?" He smirked. "I mean, you do have a crippling weakness against water. Surely you need some."

"I don't have moves yet... But I will," Kaida said. "I want to teach Haunter some attacking moves."

Charlie pulled faces at her and Kaida returned the gesture. Charlie had better get her those plushies for her next birthday or she was going to beat him up for all this teasing. She had some new moves from Chuck now! She could definitely take him down!

"What about your Flaaffy?" Charlie asked Nila.

"It knows Discharge, but that is a bit of an uncontrollable move," Nila informed him. "It means I can't double battle and use it."

"You should teach it Thunderbolt," Charlie said. "Or I could."

"Really?" Nila raised an eyebrow. "Right now? That quickly?"

"I'm an expert," Charlie boasted. "I've taught loads of Pokémon electric moves."

Nila was sceptical.

"It is actually true," Connor volunteered. "As hard as it is to believe, he's quite a good teacher."

"Damn right I am," Charlie said proudly. "Let's get to it. Anyone else want some Thunderbolt moves taught? Kaida, your Haunter?"

"Um, sure, why not?"

She told Haunter to follow Charlie. If Charlie would teach it the move then great but, if not, she was sure Haunter would sufficiently annoy Charlie with its disobedience and love of chaos, and that could be punishment for him saying that fire wasn't as good as electricity. As if, Kaida thought. Fire trumped everything.

Charlie went off with Haunter and Flaaffy and Flo gave him another loving look and started to trail off after him. She was stopped by Nila, who didn't want Flo to interrupt Flaaffy's learning. Flo sulked as she continued to watch him.

Connor, unlike his sister, could actually cook, so he made them a decent lunch. Charlie returned and flopped down next to Flo, which caused her cheeks to flame red.

"Ooh, lemonade," Charlie said happily, grabbing a glass.

"I'll have lemonade too!" Flo said eagerly. She poured herself a cup, glancing at Charlie as she did, and didn't notice when her cup was full. It started to overflow.

"Whoah, whoah," Charlie said, grabbing the lemonade bottle and pushing it upright. Flo put the bottle down as he searched for some paper towels. Once he had found them he pressed them onto her hands so she could wipe the sticky liquid away. Flo blushed some more.

They started to chat and Flo laughed uproariously at every other thing Charlie said. While the others giggled at his words, Flo roared, which made Charlie direct some very odd looks at her.

"...Connor honestly thought she was hitting on me," Charlie said, regaling them with another tale from Hoenn. "I had bruises for weeks! So wrapped up in your girlfriend, aren't you Connor? Moron."

Connor ducked his head.

"Ahaha," Flo said, roaring with some more fake laughter as she took a sip of her drink.

The next thing she knew, she had swallowed oddly and started to choke. Charlie thumped her on the back but this didn't help much. The coughing did stop but the liquid ended up pouring out of Flo's nose. Everyone recoiled. Eew!

"Um," said Charlie, pressing more tissues onto Flo before backing away. "Here."

Flo was a bright, embarrassed red when she had recovered. The others were caught between laughter and being put off their food. They continued to eat anyway and Charlie eventually turned back to telling anecdotes about their travels and, this time, Flo was more restrained in her response. She fed Pokéchow to Togepi and generally kept her head down, trying to avoid any further accidents.

Unfortunately it was not to be as, when she stood up, she only flailed and fell to the floor again as her feet refused to cooperate. A high pitched yelp came as she caught herself on her hands and needs. A gale of laughter erupted from the others at the sight. Flo looked down and saw that her shoe laces had been tied together. But how had that happened? The only person or Pokémon near her was Togepi and she felt sure her darling Togepi wasn't capable of that! Flo glared at Kaida and Nila suspiciously. Surely this was their doing somehow. The glaring intensified but it only made them laugh more.

"Hey, Nila," Charlie said after the laughing had stopped, "I hear you found my present then."

Nila looked at Charlie blankly. What insane babble was he sprouting now?

"You know," Charlie said teasingly. He winked.

Flo practically exploded with jealously. Charlie had just _winked_ at Nila! They were _flirting _in front of her! She couldn't believe this! Nila knew that she had liked Charlie! They were supposed to be friends! You didn't steal the guy your friend liked! And, besides, what did he even see in Nila? She was always grouchy, was ten kinds of neurotic, and hardly ever wore anything girly! She was practically a boy! Her clothes could have been a boy's clothes! Flo was wearing a flowery t-shirt and ruffled blue skirt! Even Kaida had said she looked nice. Well, "half way to normal" had actually been the words used, but Flo had decided to take it as a compliment.

Nila was oblivious to Flo's inner agony as she continued, "Seriously. What have you done? Did you fart in my room again because that's not a present, for the last time..."

"No, no," Charlie assured her, with a sly look on his face. "I mean something black and revealing..."

It took a moment for it all to click.

"You put the black, lacy underwear in her room!" Kaida exclaimed.

"I'm going to kill you," Nila hissed. "Do you have any idea how much my mother has been embarrassing me?"

She stood up and marched towards him. Charlie scrambled to his feet and ran away. Nila was quite quick but she was no match for Charlie's longer legs as he darted out of her way.

"I thought you'd like them!" he taunted.

"Moron!" Nila yelled.

Flo, meanwhile, was still in a state of envy. Charlie had given Nila underwear. He wanted to see her in underwear. Her crush had come to nothing!

"I'm going to rescue Charlie," Connor said. Somehow Nila had managed to grab him and was now attempting to strangle him. Charlie was still laughing, her grip currently doing little, but judging by the evil glint in Nila's eye, his lack of pain would not last long. Connor hurried towards them and attempted to pry his sister from his friend.

"Wow, Nila is angry like Kaida," Rina said slowly. Her head moved sideways. The switch had confounded her.

Kaida gave Rina a kick in the shins for suggesting she had rage issues and then said, "If you had a mother like Nila's, you'd understand. She's probably told the whole of New Bark about her daughter's underwear taste. Maybe even her son's from when she thought they were Connor's..."

Flo was still seething. "Why does he like her?" she demanded.

Kaida was confused. "Huh?"

"Charlie. Like Nila."

Kaida frowned. What was Flo _on_? "He doesn't," she said slowly. "He's gay, for the last time." At Flo's scowl, she sighed and then added, "He just wants to annoy her."

"Oh, so that's why he doesn't fancy her," Flo realised.

Finally, Kaida thought, Flo had got it.

But Flo ploughed on. "They have a sibling relationship," she said, sounding extremely proud to have figured this out. "So I _do _have a chance."

Kaida groaned.

Connor had pulled Nila off Charlie and he led her back to the picnic. She sat down and it seemed most of her rage had dissipated. Charlie was still grinning from ear to ear as he sat down, right next to her, and just to exacerbate matters more, he threw an arm around her shoulders. She quickly shrugged him off.

"Where did you even get them?" Connor muttered, shaking his head at the proceedings. "Actually, maybe I don't wanna know..."

"Found 'em," Charlie said happily.

The glint was back in Nila's eye. "Oh, that's how it is."

Charlie's forehead wrinkled. "Huh?"

"They're _yours_," Nila continued. She patted Charlie on the arm gently. "It's OK. They didn't fit you anymore, did they?"

"What?" Charlie said, bewildered. "Fit me? I never..."

"You don't need to hide it," Nila said in a fake-comforting tone. "We all accept you for who you are. If you want to wear women's underwear..."

"I don't wear women's underwear!" Charlie protested.

Nila hushed him. "Ssh. I know you don't want to be a gay cliché but dressing in drag is OK. We're in modern times. We can throw aside gender stereotypes."

"They're not mine!"

"Admittedly," Nila added, "they were a bit tacky, so perhaps we need to discuss your taste in underwear..."

"I meant found them in a shop!"

But Nila patted him on the head patronisingly. "It's OK. You can be yourself."

Charlie seemed to have sufficiently recovered to retort and again looked for opportunities to embarrass Nila. "Well, if you insist on helping me buy underwear, I'm sure we can make arrangements..."

Nila shifted. The tables had turned. Fortunately she had a reply. "Sorry, Charlie, we're all _really_ busy. Perhaps Connor can help you though."

Connor glared at his sister. What had he done to deserve that?

Charlie opened his mouth again but Flo interrupted him, blurting suddenly, "I think it's really manly," she gushed. "You are confident enough to wear women's underwear... Only a real man could pull that off!"

Charlie was a bit nonplussed by this sudden contribution from Flo. "I don't really wear women's underwear," he said slowly. Had she not cottoned onto the fact they were joking?

Nila patted him on the head again and Flo gave him her most encouraging look. He was so_ brave_.

Flo's misunderstanding of the situation actually helped move them away from that conversation and they began to discuss more general things. Kaida did strongly suspect that Nila would be plotting her payback, but Nila could hold a grudge for a long time, so would wait patiently for the opportune moment to strike. Kaida liked her revenge as much as the next person but Nila's plans often took weeks! She wasn't quite that patience. Revenge on Reid and John had been swift and decisive! It had also been genius, if she did say so herself. Nila had helped her a bit – OK, a lot – but that was only because Kaida had threatened serious damage to her milk as a rebuttal.

Flo was still smarting from her little tripping-up accident and so, while the conversation moved on, she surreptitiously checked her mirror afterwards. Yes, she had made a fool of herself, but her minimal make-up (some sparkly lip gloss) looked OK and her hair was immaculate. Clumsy girls were cute, she thought, thinking back to a magazine entry she had read. It was all going to be all right. Charlie would think she was sweet and innocent and want to protect her! She smoothed out her skirt at the front and marched towards the lake. She could still hear giggles behind her. Honestly... It wasn't that funny!

"Flo!" Kaida yelled. "Your skirt is tucked into your knickers!"

Mortified, Flo whipped around. But... How? Although turning around meant they couldn't see her knickers anymore, she now had to see their laughing faces... Why were they so horrible to her? Everything was going wrong! She checked her reflection in the lake; it was a bit difficult to tell, due to the water rippling from the Pokémon playing, but her hair still seemed to be perfect. She smiled contently. Then she screamed.

The Pokémon, splashing merrily around, had moved closer and closer until a stray Water Gun from Wooper, as it slid from Dewgong's back, hit her square in the head, drenching her completely. Her hair! Her precious hair! Flo shrieked.

The others were laughing again, she thought furiously. Laughing at her humiliation. She tried to walk back towards them with some dignity but tripped, her feet stumbling awkwardly over nothing, and that was all ruined too. She was going to have to sit and sulk for the rest of the day. Clearly fate was conspiring against her. Nila and Kaida probably had something to do with it too. She would have blamed Rina but the girl was in a dozy daze and hadn't moved for about the last twenty minutes.

"Are you OK?" Charlie asked, after he finished laughing.

Flo's heart fluttered. He was concerned for her.

"Water Gun can have quite a lot of force, even if used when playing and not battling," Charlie continued. "Does your head hurt?"

He was now in proximity to her, Flo thought dazedly. If she reached out, she could touch him... He was so amazingly handsome. She sighed romantically.

"Um." Charlie was a little confused when Flo didn't reply to his questions and just continued to stare at him. "Maybe she is hurt... Someone should check her out."

Nila rolled her eyes.

"She's fine," Kaida said, feeling Nila's eye rolling really said it all. She grabbed Flo's arm and pulled her to the ground. "But she can sit here for a while in case she's not."

"OK, cool." Charlie gestured over his shoulder at Haunter and Flaaffy. "I should get back to teaching them."

Charlie clearly did know what he was doing when it came to electricity because, at the end of the day, Haunter was producing sparks and Flaaffy had mastered the technique. Charlie assured Haunter would be producing Thunderbolt in a few days.

"It's not an electric type so it isn't so easy to teach it," he explained. "Flaaffy has used electrical moves before and, obvious, is electric, so it has the advantage."

They thanked him as they returned to Olivine. Nila, however, was still planning her vengeance for the lacy underwear incident. Flo, of course, was miserable at the prospect of not seeing Charlie again, and began to talk to Kaida about staying round her house, as she knew Kaida was next-door neighbours with Nila and Connor, whose house Charlie visited frequently. When they gave Connor and Charlie hugs goodbye, she clung on far longer than was necessary or socially appropriate. Kaida eventually grabbed the smitten girl and pulled her away, giving Charlie and apologetic look.

"And I may never see him again," Flo lamented, as Nila took her brother and Charlie aside for a few final words, which probably included threats about ever going in her room.

"For Lugia's sake," Kaida cried. "He's gay!"

"No, he's not," Flo insisted. "He even mentioned Connor's girlfriend."

"We never said Connor was gay!" Kaida shook her head. "What is it with you and gay men? And old men, apparently, judging by what Rina's muttered about your date with Andrew..."

"I wasn't interested in him! I needed money!" Flo protested.

"That Rina couldn't give you?" Kaida raised an eyebrow.

Damn it, Flo thought. Kaida had figured out Flo's stupidity. She flushed.

"See, you just wanted to go on a date with an old man!" Kaida said triumphantly.

Flo wasn't sure what was worse: Kaida thinking she was an idiot or Kaida thinking she liked old men. She couldn't decide so instead wailed, "I don't like old men!"

"You like old men and gay men!" Kaida crowed.

Nila returned at this point and raised her eyebrows at Flo. "That's kind of pervy," she said.

"It's not true!" Flo said. Her voice was hysterical. "Kaida's lying!"

"Old men and gay men!" Kaida chanted, dancing around Flo. "Old men and gay men!"

"Argh!" Flo screeched. "SHUT UP!"

It had been an awful day, Flo thought, stomping off.

Behind her, Kaida sniggered. All in all, it had been a _fantastic _day.


	46. Chapter 47

**A/N - **

There is no mistake. We are alive.

There is also no mistake with the chapter. I am uploading chapters 46 and 47 as 45 has not been completed. However, the story will still make sense: chapter 45 was John and Reid's escapades at Fat Camp. Needless to say, it did not go well.

Since we are rewriting, there will not be many more updates to this story. However, I thought that I should post what we had left anyway. You can look at the rewrite, as it has changes and additions, but if the thought of re-reading fills anyone with dread, but they still wish to continue, I'd advise tuning in about Day 42.

Also, fanfiction . net seems to have become even more annoying about page breaks, and I think it has taken them all out of this document. I don't have time to go through to fix this now, so sorry for any irritation/confusion caused.

* * *

**47.**

"Dewgong has had a bit of a personality transplant since it evolved," Kaida commented, eying up the water and ice type Pokémon. Before it had been boastful and proud but now it ducked its head at praise. She had heard Pokémon's personalities could be affected by evolution – much as people changed nature over time – but this was quite a contrast to its previous state. "Haunter hasn't changed a bit."

Haunter chose that moment to leap out at Rina and prove her point. It waggled its tongue and started to chase her. Rina shrieked and ran away, putting her hands over her head in a rather fruitless attempt at protecting herself.

"It's strange," Nila agreed.

"And it's the battle with Jasmine tomorrow," Kaida said happily. She was looking forward to the match. It was going to be tough but she was confident she could pull it off. She had been training hard and her Pokémon had improved vastly. Plus, she had the advantage of fire.

"I could do with a good battle," Nila muttered.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to challenge your brother," Kaida commented.

Nila narrowed her eyes. "I did. He said he has about five times as many badges as me and won't battle me until I have at least eight."

Kaida wasn't sure if this was harsh or sensible. On one hand, Connor had far more experience as a trainer – he was two years older than them – but badges weren't everything. There were plenty of strong trainers out there who didn't have badges. Alex, from Ecruteak, was one of them and, as much as Kaida hated to admit it, Morven was probably another.

"You could always battle me," Flo said.

Kaida and Nila looked at each other and laughed. With the exception of Wooper and perhaps Weepinbell, Flo's Pokémon were useless. Togepi just ran around causing trouble and apparently knew no moves, Grimer only wanted to hug people, and Psyduck clutched its head in pain. The only times it ever lashed out was against Rina. Hoppip did know some moves but, of course, Flo still thought it only knew Splash and so wouldn't use it.

"And me," Rina cried.

Rina wasn't a lot better. Her Slowpoke were clearly reasonably powerful, thanks to the training of her brother, but she never ordered them to do anything and just left them to their own devices. Trainer and Pokémon had to really work together for the best results.

"I think we should battle," Flo said, sounding oddly enthused about the idea for someone whose only _real _fighting experience involved forcing her Pokémon into ridiculous outfits. "We can help you out!"

Kaida and Nila exchanged a look. This was going to end badly.

Nevertheless, Flo was insistent and managed to get Rina to harass them with pokes until they agreed, only to shut the other pair up. They left the centre of Olivine to find a suitable place for a battle. They ended up in the spot they had visited with Connor and Charlie previously.

"Who's pairing up?" Kaida asked as soon as they got there.

It was an unspoken agreement that Kaida and Nila were both going to have to pair with one of the two idiots who were, at that moment, giving their Pokémon the oddest pep talks ever.

"Remember, it's not what you do, but how good you look doing it," Flo lectured.

Togepi clapped its hands together happily as Wooper skipped around it. Only Weepinbell seemed to be paying much attention as Hoppip started to drift away slowly and Psyduck sat there looking pained. Grimer made no pretence of listening either: as soon as it caught sight of Nila, it zoomed towards her, its arms outstretched. Nila jumped behind Rina and Grimer engulfed the purple haired girl in a hug instead. It snuggled her joyously until it opened its eyes again and realised it had actually hugged the wrong person. It set off for Nila again but Nila had released Houndour, who sent a torrent of fire to rebuff the poison Pokémon.

Rina wasn't doing much better with her Pokémon. When Grimer released her, she went back to her pep talk which seemed to include a strange rain chant. Her Slowpoke regarded her solemnly. Shuckle looked dazed and Magikarp skulked in the lake. How it wished it could be a part of the battle so it could thrash them all...

"So," Kaida said, bringing them back to the point. "Who do you want?"

Neither, Nila thought, and she knew that Kaida agreed. They watched the antics of the two younger girls and despaired. Any battling was going to end in disaster!

"Well, Flo's incompetent," Nila mused, "but Rina doesn't do anything at all. It's hard to tell which is worse."

They watched as Flo tried to get Wooper to stop running about and pay attention. As she chased after the small, blue Pokémon, she tripped over thin air and went crashing to the ground into a particularly muddy spot. They heard a small cry of, "My arm warmers!"

"I call Rina," Nila said quickly.

"Damn it!" Kaida swore.

Kaida went and grabbed Flo. She dragged Flo over to face Nila and Rina. The latter girl completely ignored proceedings and was squatting and pulling up tufts of grass. Nila soon grew impatient and yanked her to her feet.

"Send out a Pokémon," she ordered.

"Oh," Rina said dazedly. "Shuckle!"

That hadn't been Nila's first choice so she gave an aggravated sigh. "Use it to block attacks," she ordered, knowing Shuckle's attacking power was next to nothing but its defence was formidable. She could only hope her words sunk in.

"Okie," Rina chirped.

"Go, Weepinbell," Flo cried, pointing her finger forwards and motioning that the plant Pokémon should move out to face Shuckle.

"Don't wait to consult me!" Kaida huffed.

Wooper would have been her choice to face Shuckle, since Rina's Pokémon was part bug and so grass was not as effective as it would have been on other rock type Pokémon. And if Nila had decided to combat Wooper with Chikorita then she had three fire Pokémon to deal with that problem. Nila's smart choice now would be to use Houndour, who could wipe out Weepinbell and would also be able to combat any fire moves from Kaida and had a dark element to beat Haunter. She was a little surprised when Nila sent out Flaaffy instead.

"Not Houndour?"

"I need Houndour to battle Jasmine tomorrow," Nila reminded her. "Do you really think I trust that these two won't hurt it?"

She had a good point; Kaida couldn't argue with that. Instead she sent out Growlithe.

"Growlithe," she commanded. "Use Agility!"

Growlithe immediately started to move, dodging a Thunderbolt attack from Flaaffy. It fired a Flamethrower but Flaaffy ducked behind Shuckle, who was still snug in its shell. After the fire attack was over, Shuckle poked its head out its shell indignantly and narrowly avoided behind scorched. Its head and legs darted back in. Growlithe jumped over it and turned its attentions to Flaaffy. This rather put Flo off: she wanted to be included in the battle!

"Weepinbell!" Flo yelled, her arms akimbo. "Use Sleep Powder on Flaaffy!"

Weepinbell, quite eager because of the attention of its trainer, let out a copious amount of powder, which sped towards Flaaffy. Unfortunately, Kaida had already ordered Growlithe to perform Take Down on the electric Pokémon.

"Pull out!" she called.

It was far too late. Growlithe and Flaaffy were both caught by the sleep powder. They crashed into each other, with Take Down and Body Slam respectively, but the shock from that was not enough to wake them up from their slumber.

"Flo!" Kaida fumed.

"It got in the way!" Flo protested. "It wasn't my fault!"

"You could've been paying _some_ attention!"

There was nothing for it. The battle was effectively paused until Growlithe and Flaaffy woke up. Shuckle was refusing to budge from its shell and Weepinbell's Vine Whip attacks on Ampharos were virtually useless. Eventually Flaaffy seemed to have been slapped around enough to stir, which alarmed Kaida. Growlithe was still sleeping!

"Get your Pokémon to start slapping mine," she ordered.

"Huh," Flo said densely. "Oh, no. You just want me to do something stupid so you can yell at me again! I won't fall for that! You don't want my Pokémon to attack yours!"

Kaida grabbed a fistful of Flo's t-shirt. "I'm gonna attack _you _if you don't get a move on!"

Flo meeped and quickly ordered Weepinbell to start using Vine Whip on Growlithe. As Flaaffy got back to its feet, Growlithe began to stir again. While Weepinbell was blasted away with a well placed Signal Beam, Growlithe woke and clambered back to its feet.

"We have to double team Flaaffy," Kaida said to Flo.

She was right: Shuckle was hardly a threat. It hadn't emerged from its shell again and Rina made no move to encourage it. In fact, she was making a daisy chain. Her attention span had been too short to follow even a few minutes of the battle.

"Rina!" Nila snapped as Growlithe and Weepinbell converged on her Pokémon. "Pay attention!"

"Shuckle isn't doing anything," Rina whined. "It was boring!"

"You didn't order it to do anything!" Nila shot back.

She took a deep breath. She was going to have to do it without any assistance then! She almost wished she hadn't asked Charlie to teach her Pokémon Thunderbolt instead of Discharge: in situations like this it actually would have been preferable.

"Come on, Flaaffy," she urged. The Pokémon was desperately trying to avoid Poison Powder and Sleep Powder attacks from Flo's Weepinbell while facing Growlithe's Flamethrower moves from the other side. "Blast Weepinbell away!"

A Signal Beam attack sent Weepinbell flying and Flaaffy had a few seconds to deal with Growlithe. The electric Pokémon was hit by Take Down but quickly responded with a Thunderbolt. Growlithe fell, twitching, but had soon leapt to its feet and started the assault again.

Rina started to hum. Nila's eye twitched.

Weepinbell was back and Flaaffy was losing. It narrowly avoided a Poison Powder only be struck down by a charging Growlithe who attacked with a fearsome Crunch. Flaaffy rolled away and was back on its feet, panting quite heavily. Avoiding one Pokémon was hard enough, let alone two, no matter how questionable one of the trainers was... But then Flaaffy saw its opportunity, ducking under a wave of Sleep Powder at the last second so the attack hit Growlithe, who was charging from the other direction. Growlithe skidded out of the way just in time but Flaaffy used the opportunity to Body Slam Weepinbell. The attack was forceful and whether from that, or Flaaffy's static, Weepinbell fell, paralysed.

Now it was Growlithe versus Flaaffy until... Flaaffy began to glow. Its form convulsed as it hunched over. It straightened again and, with a burst of light, the evolution of Flaaffy, Ampharos, emerged.

All Kaida could say was: "How come all your Pokémon evolve?"

Cyndaquil looked at Kaida, a little alarmed. If she wanted it then it would start its efforts immediately. But it had thought Kaida liked it to sit on her shoulder... Luckily, Kaida caught the look.

"Not you," she said affectionately, patting Cyndaquil's head. "I was joking."

Cyndaquil nuzzled her leg, utterly relieved. It hadn't been wrong.

"It doesn't look like a granny with a perm anymore," Rina observed, cocking her head to one side as if the view would be better from there.

"It's sort of cute," Flo said. "But not as cute as Mareep! Why would you evolve it?"

Weepinbell, who had just begun to recover from its paralysis, wilted at Flo's words.

Nila couldn't touch Ampharos – it was still sparking with electricity from the spark – but she did give it a smile instead. It began to charge itself up to fight again but they were interrupted by Rina screaming.

"CHEESE!" she roared.

She had opened the picnic bag and was now shovelling it in her mouth.

"Hey, that was for the sandwiches!" Flo wailed. "Stop eating it!"

All three of them had to rush over there and pry the girl off. She had eaten about half the cheese, which meant the sandwiches would be very lacking in filling. Seeing that Rina wasn't going to abandon the cheese, no matter how much they yelled, they decided to put the battle on pause so they could eat lunch. Flo was given the duty of holding Rina off whilst Kaida made the sandwiches and Nila fed the Pokémon. Typically, Flo and Rina descended into a poking and slapping battle. When they started to screech Nila threw Haunter's food bowl at their heads. They ducked just in time and it clattered down harmlessly on a particularly bushy area of grass.

"Hey!" Flo yelped.

Nila just scowled at them. "You're giving me a headache."

Kaida looked up, ready to agree, but then was distracted. "Don't throw the food bowl! You might break it!" She went to pick it up and cradled it protectively, memories of Cyndaquil's broken umbrellas coming back to her. Her stuff always got broken!

"You're such a moron," Nila told Rina.

"Am not!" Rina insisted. "I've been told I'm very special."

She looked confused when they sniggered.

"Mum also said that if anyone called me stupid then I can just say, yes, I am."

There was a pause.

"Um..." Kaida began.

Rina grinned wildly. "Stupid. Smart, talented, unique person, in demand."

This time there were no sniggers. There was a small silence and then Nila and Kaida burst into loud, raucous laughter.

After eating lunch they tried to get back to battling but, this time, they decided to attempt a water battle. This gave little choice for Nila and Kaida about which Pokémon to pick. Kaida released Haunter, who hovered above the lake, and Nila let out Dewgong, who immediately dived into the deeper parts.

Flo sent forward Wooper, one of her two decent Pokémon, the other being Hoppip. Kaida was relieved. Perhaps the odds would be better this time without Weepinbell putting its allies to sleep! Then again, they were also facing Wonky the Slowpoke, who was quite powerful.

"I still think we should have used Magikarp," Rina said earnestly to Nila, who glared in response. "Magikarp could beat them both!"

"Quiet," Nila ordered just as Kaida started to attack.

"Thunderbolt!"

Wooper, immune to electricity thanks to its ground dual type, was the perfect partner. Unfortunately quite a large part of the lake was affected by the Thunderbolt which struck Dewgong and Slowpoke and several stray Magikarp bobbed to the surface, unconscious.

"Oops," Kaida muttered. Perhaps that hadn't been the wisest move... "Um, Confuse Ray instead!"

Dewgong dived down to avoid the attack. It then launched itself at Wooper from beneath and used Headbutt on the small Pokémon. Wooper went flying out of the water from the force, splashing down again several metres away. Dewgong turned on Haunter and used Aurora Beam but Haunter was quick to dodge the blow.

Kaida poked her tongue out at Nila: she couldn't resist. She was a little warier when Nila smirked back.

"Dewgong, use Surf!"

The Dewgong produced a wide, rolling wave that affected everything in its radius. Wooper and Wonky the Slowpoke were a little bashed by the force, but otherwise fine, but the attack, so wide in its scale, managed to hit Haunter too and did a fair amount of damage. It was a powerful move.

"When did Dewgong learn _that_?" Kaida said, blinking furiously. That had to be one of the evilest water moves she had ever seen! It was far more powerful than most Surf attacks she'd seen before. Admittedly, her experience was limited, and her only personal knowledge was from Penelope's surfing Pikachu, but still!

"Wonky!" Rina called. "Are you OK?" She scurried forwards, right to the edge of the water, and peered out. Due to the Surf attack, the water was rippling outwards and Rina ended up with a wave of water hitting her, drenching her up to her knees.

"Wonky is fine," Nila said, rolling her eyes as Rina squelched out of the lake.

They seemed to have reached an impasse. Haunter was now drifting high enough to avoid the Surf attacks, yet it could not retaliate against Dewgong. Wooper splashed around quite happily, occasionally using Mud Shot very ineffectively against Dewgong, who was quick slicing through the water. Wonky drifted along, a bobbing head in the dark water, without doing much at all.

"Your Pokémon knows Psychic and Headbutt," Nila snapped at Rina, "so why don't you do something?"

"Hmm," was all Rina said.

Nila narrowed her eyes. Dewgong had been quite badly hurt by Thunderbolt so it may as well heal itself. "Use Rest," she ordered. She turned to Rina. "Get your Pokémon to cover mine!"

As Dewgong went to sleep, Haunter took the opportunity to swoop down to perform Lick on the helpless Pokémon. Nila elbowed Rina sharply when she didn't react.

"Oh," Rina said, jolted sharply. "Um. Use Rain Dance!"

Nila felt her homicidal urges reaching a breaking point. "How is that defending Dewgong? That's useless! Use Psychic on Haunter! It's part poison!"

But, as rain started to fall, something quite surprising happened. Dewgong woke up, just in time, and dived out of the way of Haunter, catching the startled ghost Pokémon with an Aurora Beam. Nila blinked. She checked her Pokédex to confirm her suspicions. Instead of Thick Fat it actually had the ability of Hydration so, depending on the weather, it could heal its status problems... Like sleep...

"New plan," she said briskly. "Your Slowpoke is teaching my Dewgong Rain Dance."

Nila and Jasmine stood opposite each other inside the rather nondescript gym. Kaida had come as well, to offer moral support and pick up tips, but Flo had refused to accompany them on the grounds that Steelix scared the life out of her. This meant that she and Rina were running around town again – doubtless causing all kinds of trouble – and Nila couldn't pretend it was a great loss. She turned her mind away from the younger girls and focused on the Magnemite, who was circling her Houndour while it sparked threateningly.

Magnemite used Supersonic but Houndour had been getting quicker and it managed to dodge and retaliate with a burst of fire. Houndour's legs skidded across the hard floor to avoid the steel Pokémon's next attack. Its eyes popped in alarm as it almost ran into a the sparks of a Thunder Wave attack but it managed to grind to halt and change direction with a roar of fire at its opponent.

The pair battled on. Magnemite focused on Supersonic attacks, hoping to confuse the already clumsy Pokémon. But Houndour had been training hard too and concentrated on dodging the rays. In the end it had the advantage, toasting Magnemite with a particularly fierce flamethrower and inflicting a burn. Now all it had to do was avoid Magnemite's attacks and cling on until the spinning, metal Pokémon fainted. It didn't take long and, when Houndour struck another lucky Flamethrower, Magnemite fainted.

Jasmine returned her Pokémon, whispering a thank you for its efforts. Now the real challenge was about to begin as Jasmine released Steelix. Nila didn't waste a moment, ordering Houndour to attack with Flamethrower. Houndour had grown much stronger so the attack had more effect than it had the last time Jasmine and Nila had battled, but it still managed to escape the brunt of it by diving into the ground. Houndour moved as soon as it saw Steelix diving down and then it was careful to stay very still so Steelix couldn't sense where it was when the ground settled. The tactic worked and Steelix erupted several metres away to a Flamethrower from Houndour. It dived down again but the same thing happened. The intensity of the heat was such that Steelix's metal head seemed to glow red. Nila spotted this and whipped her Pokéball out to return Houndour.

"Go, Dewgong!"

Now that seemed to be a move that no one expected. Of course, no one only comprised of Kaida and Jasmine, but they could hardly be blamed for it. There was absolutely no water in the gym and, as a result, Dewgong was going to move at about one mile an hour, no match for Steelix at all.

"Dewgong, Surf!"

Dewgong summoned the cool water to crash upon Steelix's head and steam arose. Well Kaida could understand that move: hot and cold never mixed well. She just wasn't sure what Nila was going to do _after _that. Surely Nila couldn't keep switching Houndour in and out. Jasmine and Steelix had been surprised once but not again.

"Dig, Steelix!"

Another huge hole was made by Steelix as it attempted to get away from the rushing water. Dewgong had used an impressive amount of water for the Surf attack and the floor was all wet but it couldn't summon enough to fill the room with enough to swim in. It was beyond its powers and there was also the problem that Jasmine, Kaida, and Nila would be submerged and drown...

But it didn't need to, Kaida realised suddenly, as Nila ordered Dewgong to use Surf again. The water and ice Pokémon directed it towards the hole and water rushed to fill it. Dewgong dived down after Steelix and, when Steelix emerged again, Dewgong appeared to have done some damage to the colossal Pokémon. It dug down again but Dewgong flipped out of the previous tunnel with a splash of water and followed it, filling the other tunnel with water just as rapidly. Steelix had even more damage when it thrust back through the ground again.

"Stop," Jasmine ordered. "Slam your tail down with Iron Tail!"

Steelix hammered on the ground. Kaida and Nila both stumbled from the force. The mouth of one of the tunnels collapsed and Dewgong made it out of the other tunnel just in time. It caved instants later.

"That's enough Dewgong," Nila said, recalling the Pokémon and releasing Houndour.

Steelix immediately used Dig again. Now the threat of Dewgong was gone, it could go back to its favourite tactic. Nila smirked. There was a _lot _of water down there. This did hinder Houndour's Flamethrower a little but Steelix had not fared well with the underground water either.

"Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered.

Houndour dodged backwards as the enormous tail was slammed in its direction. It caught the tip of the tail with a blast of fire and Steelix roared in indignation. It lunged at Houndour who attempted to dodge. Its feet, so far nimble, finally failed it; it tripped and it did so spectacularly, landing face first on the ground. A second later and Steelix's heavy bulk crashed into it. Houndour yelped as it was crushed. It did manage to stagger to its feet when Steelix moved but it was swept away by a forceful Iron Tail, smashing into the wall. It slid to the ground and didn't move.

Dewgong was released again in Houndour's place. Jasmine had a confidence to her that couldn't be seen out of battle. She thought she was going to win.

"Rain Dance!" Nila commanded.

Now that Houndour was out of the battle she didn't see any reason why Dewgong shouldn't use it. Its attacks would increase in the rain and there was the added benefit of healing if they got the time.

Steelix moved for Dewgong but its Surf attack rebuffed the steel Pokémon. Instead it tried Rock Throw to hit Dewgong from afar but the majority of the rocks missed and the rest were struck down by a well placed Aurora Beam. Steelix didn't even bother to dodge the remnants of the ice attack that slipped past the boulders: it hardly affected the steel type at all.

Dewgong wasn't so lucky with the next Iron Tail attack which slammed down as Steelix avoided the brunt of the next Surf attack. It was an immensely powerful move and Dewgong was hurt badly. It managed to force Steelix away with its water move but Nila wasn't sure how many more of those attacks Dewgong could survive. Fortunately, luck was on her side as, after Steelix was pushed away with Surf one more time, it dived back under the ground, with Jasmine deciding it could put up with the water down there.

"Rest!"

With the rain continuing to fall above them, even under the roof of the gym, Dewgong slipped into slumber. Nila crossed her fingers that Dewgong would wake before Steelix emerged. Then Steelix came bursting up from underneath Dewgong, slamming its head into the water Pokémon's body. Dewgong woke up at about the same time and retaliated with a powerful blast of water in Steelix's face.

Dewgong had been lifted a fair distance from the ground so the resulting slam as it returned to earth did considerable damage. But a large amount of damage had been done to Steelix too. Its head crashed to the ground; it attempted to lift it but it seemed the weight was too heavy. Finally it closed its eyes.

Dewgong was ragged too but it was still conscious. Nila blinked. She had even surprised herself. But she had won. She watched as Jasmine's battling persona seemed to melt back into the timid woman they had first met.

"Um," Jasmine muttered. "Here." She held out a small, glinting object. "It's the Mineral Badge."

Nila inclined her head and accepted the badge. She added it to her other badges. Six badges. It seemed unbelievable to think she only had two more to go. Kaida still had three to go but, judging by the determined look in Kaida's eyes, that wouldn't stay the same for long.

"How soon can I battle you?" Kaida demanded eagerly. She couldn't wait to fit her awesome fire babies against that steel. She was going to blow those Pokémon apart! The fatty Steelix might be a problem but she'd think of something!

"Er." Jasmine thought about it. She had a few other people to battle but assured Kaida that they could battle in a few days time. "I'm, um, going to visit some, um, family tomorrow as well. After that."

Kaida grinned at Nila. "Great. Now let's go celebrate! I think this needs pizza!"

There were two other people who thought the situation needed pizza. They weren't Rina and Flo either. Kaida and Nila were pleasantly surprised to find John and Reid had arrived back from fat camp a day early. Both boys were looking haggard.

"You won't _believe _what happened to us," Reid said, quite hysterical. "It was horrible!"

"It wasn't _that _bad," John said.

"Yes it was," Reid insisted. "Some parts were funny... But..." He clutched his stomach. "All that healthy food! I can't take it! I need to eat!"

Celebration pizza turned into a very rushed affair because, at the rate Reid shovelled the food into his mouth, there was soon none left for anyone else. John glared at Reid and went off to buy some apples. He was hungry too!

"Did it work?" Kaida asked Reid.

"Yeah, Miltank's moving," Reid assured her. "Not sure if that's a good thing..."

He was cut off by his stomach making a pained groaning sound.

"Haha," Flo taunted. "You ate too much. You're gonna be sick _everywhere_."

Reid fixed her with an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? I'm still hungry."

He proceeded to show this by calling up to order a takeaway to Flo's Aunt's house. She was out for the night and had forbidden them from entering the living room and dining room, where most of the valuables were held. They were only to enter the bathroom, their rooms, and the kitchen. Even then they had been given some very lengthy threats about what would happen if they broke anything. For obvious reasons, most of the Pokémon were restrained in their Pokéballs, especially the troublesome Wooper. Kaida and Nila had tried to convince Flo to keep Togepi in its Pokéball but the younger girl had refused to listen, claiming her Togepi was a perfectly behaved angel.

Reid's takeaway chips and curry soon arrived and he began to munch on it. "Mmm." He hummed happily. "I could still do with something else..." He fixed his gaze on Kaida. "How about you make some brownies?"

Kaida was about to protest that she wasn't his slave but he fixed her with a wide-eyed look that was actually quite adorable. She caved. She would just have to separate her own stash so he didn't scoff them all... She hunted around the kitchen and found the necessary ingredients, including some white chocolate chips. Soon the batch was in the oven and the timer was set. She heard loud noises outside and pattered through the house to see a quite enthusiastic water fight was going on in the front garden, spilling out onto the quiet road.

"Get that Totodile away from me!" Nila said, using John as a human shield.

Flo shrieked as a cold jet of water from Wooper hit her. "Wooper! You're meant to be on my side!"

The tiny water Pokémon seemed to giggle before it hopped away. It moved towards Cyndaquil, who let out a small squeak and hid behind Kaida's legs in fear of the water. The Water Gun hit Kaida instead and her clothes were soaked. She glared at Wooper for a second but then decided she liked the Pokémon too much to blame it. She'd go for Flo instead.

Nila had no water Pokémon suitable for the fight so she had a water gun. Kaida ran over her only to be squirted in the face.

"Oops," Nila said unapologetically.

Kaida blinked heavily and scraped her wet fringe from her face. "Where did you get the gun?"

Nila pointed to next door. There were several water guns on the on the lawn. Presumably they had children who there who played with them. They didn't look like they were in so Kaida ran over and grabbed the pistol. She scurried back only to be hit with a blast from Corey the Corsola. She attacked the Pokémon with her water pistol until it leapt away and then she went for Flo.

Finally, after what seemed like ages playing with the water, Kaida checked her watch and decided it was time to go to check on the brownies. When she got back into the house she peered into the oven and saw they would just need a few more minutes. She waited patiently, while the sounds of the play fighting drifted in, until they looked perfectly done. She got the oven gloves and pulled them from the oven. They would just need a few minutes to cool down. She set the tray down and turned the oven off. She padded back through the house to the front garden. Everyone was now drenched and darkness was creeping over them, bringing with it a chill. Summer was fading to autumn and it wouldn't be good to stay in the cold while wet.

"Everyone, get changed and we can have brownies," Kaida called.

Reid was the first one in the house and John was a close second. They thundered up the stairs. Kaida decided she better get changed quickly or the brownies would all be gone by the time she was back downstairs to protect them. She ran to the room and changed swiftly into a baggy t-shirt and comfortable trousers. She dropped the belt with her Pokéballs in it onto her bed. Nila, Flo, and Rina took their time but John and Reid were already in the kitchen by the time she got down there with Cyndaquil hopping down steps behind her. They both looked very impatient.

"Where are the brownies?" John asked.

"Just behind you," Kaida said, a little bewildered that they weren't already munching.

Reid and John stepped aside and revealed an empty counter top. Kaida frowned.

"You didn't eat them all _already_?" she snapped crossly. She didn't wait for a response before continuing to rant. "I put effort into making those! I can't believe you just ate them all! What about everyone else?"

"We didn't!" John protested.

Kaida glared at him. "You two can make your own damn brownies from now on!"

"We didn't!" John repeated. "Honestly."

"I'm a quick eater but I'm not _that_ quick," Reid insisted.

Well if it hadn't been them then who had it been? Kaida looked around, half expecting to see Snorlax poking its head through the kitchen window. No. There were no Pokémon in sight. She glanced from the kitchen down the long hallway. The door was ajar. Whoever had come in last hadn't bothered to shut it. She automatically blamed Flo or Rina... Doubtless it was one – or both – of them... She rushed towards it and stepped out. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Why would someone run into a house and steal a tray of brownies? Why wouldn't they take anything else valuable?

Her thoughts were then cut off as she spun around to see a familiar face.

"You!"

It was Morven complete with steel mask.

"Me," he said smugly. He lifted his hand to raise his mouth and, in the other hand, he raised a brownie. "These are good."

Kaida opened her mouth to rant but no words came out. She heard the alarmed noise from Cyndaquil and a hiss from behind her of, "Stun Spore." Her body froze and fell forwards. Someone scooped her up and she was carried down to the road where a black van was awaiting. She was bundled in the back and... darkness.

Back in the house, Nila had come down the stairs. She saw the door was open and frowned. She glanced back up the stairs and yelled, "Shut the door behind you, idiots!" She only heard giggles and yelps from Flo and Rina so they were probably fighting again. She shook her head and went to close it. As she did she saw a small, frozen form on the porch. It was Cyndaquil! She fell to her knees and shook it. Had Weepinbell gone off in a rage again and used Stun Spore? She was sure it had been in its Pokéball...

She looked up as she heard the squeal of tyres. In the passenger seat of a black van she saw the hint of metal... In an instant she was back on her feet and charging after it. She reached for a Pokéball and released Houndour but the van was already skidding around the corner. She cursed loudly and slowed her pace down to a walk. Eventually Houndour returned to her sheepishly. The van was gone. Kaida was gone too. She swore again.

At least she knew who was responsible and who was going to _pay_.

"What's the matter?" John asked, catching sight of her stony face as she stomped back into the house with a paralysed Cyndaquil in her arms.

"That Morven..." She let off several explicit words that caused Flo and Rina's ears to go quite red. "Kidnapped Kaida."

"What, _why_?"

Nila shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. Revenge. Whatever. I'm going to kill that–"

She let off some more rude words. Rina covered her ears.

Reid's jaw had dropped. "Is this guy _insane_?"

"Apparently!" John replied. "So how are we going to find her?"

"I don't know," Nila said darkly, "but I do know someone who does."


End file.
